Crystal Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
Glad all over? Try elated forever. Crystal Palace’s anthem belongs to the Dave Clark Five but now all the songs must be for Oliver Glasner’s Three.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored better goals in his career but none has carried the importance of the five-yard tap-in that enabled Palace to win the Uefa Conference League and made the team – and a manager, who now bids farewell – immortal.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 27, 2026Watch the Eagles soar 🦅
Jean-Philippe Mateta with a priceless goal to give Crystal Palace the lead 🔥
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What an extraordinary period this has been for Palace, which started a year ago when Eberechi Eze’s goal secured the FA Cup against Manchester City. The Community Shield followed in August, but neither compared with this, the kind of night that reminds you why football is just magic.
As they sang themselves hoarse and sobbed tears of delight, they watched in awe as Maxence Lacroix dominated, Adam Wharton cast magic spells and the team perfectly executed Glasner’s vision. It was a thing of disciplined and well-drilled beauty, a textbook way to conquer Europe.
It did not feel that way at the time, of course, but being demoted from the Europa League last August was the best thing to happen to them. They would, undoubtedly, have given everything to win that competition but down in slightly shallower waters, Palace took on the mantle of being a team to fear.
Certainly, Rayo Vallecano were intimidated. With half of Croydon, kitted out in red and blue, in the South Stand of this terrific stadium, it felt like a home game for Glasner’s men, the backing they received was quite remarkable.
This tournament gets a bad press at times – usually from those who have spent too long watching the Champions League – but the energy that fizzed throughout, from both sets of fans, made it feel like a special occasion. Then again, how could it not be when history would be made?
Palace, of the pair, were at ease quickest. On a big pitch, the kind that turns legs to lead when nerves are jangling, Glasner had evidently told his defenders to play directly, to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, so Rayo’s defenders would be constantly spinning.
There were some early moments that generated the kind of noises you only hear in finals, the high-pitched shriek of expectation, such as when Mateta – whose goal against Norwegian side Fredrikstad last August started this odyssey – surged into the area only to have the ball taken off his toe.
Rayo, whose manager Iñigo Pérez is being spoken about by shrewd judges as a man going places, found it difficult to cope with the unrelenting pace. The Spanish club were fortunate in the 20th minute, when Pathé Ciss chopped down Yéremy Pino 40 yards from goal.
There was too much ambiguity for referee Maurizio Mariani to reach for a red card but the foul certainly saved Rayo. Ismaïla Sarr harangued the match official to reconsider but Ciss was spared with a booking. The Spaniards were able to reconvene.
What stood out about that move, though, was the beautiful way it had been created by Wharton, who had delicately chopped back from his right foot on to his left and then lofted an inch-perfect ball into Pino, the way a golfer flicks a lob wedge towards the flag.
In a game of pace and power, Wharton’s dexterity was a joy. He scuttles around doing the dirty work first and foremost, ensuring Palace’s back three have protection, but when he gets a chance to play, he comes alive, always standing on the half turn, waiting to move forward.
If Palace were in a threatening position, Wharton – who had given his manager a scare when coming off against Arsenal at the weekend but trained through the pain to show he needed to be included – was never far away and another glorious pass deserved a goal in first-half injury time.
Spotting the run of Tyrick Mitchell coming in from the left, Wharton curled a pass towards the six-yard box and Mitchell timed his run perfectly. What he messed up, though, was the timing of his jump and he met his attempted header wrong, sending it wide.
Glasner, living every second in his technical area, looked ready to jump out of his skin in delight but fell to his knees as the ball bounced away to safety. It was a reaction felt by everyone supporting his team. How long were they going to have to wait?
The answer was five minutes and it was Wharton, the game’s outstanding player, who was at the heart, spooking Argentine goalkeeper Gusto Batalla with a swerving shot that he could only parry into Mateta’s path. He, like everyone else, was celebrating before the ball crossed the line.
And to think, if fate had gone a different way, Mateta would have been an AC Milan player now had a January move not fallen through.
What followed was a commotion, a noise so loud it left ears ringing. It was no more than Palace deserved, mind you, and it was extraordinary how they did not double their lead in the 55th minute, when a Pino free-kick smashed against one post, flew across the line and bounced off the other.
Belatedly, Rayo tried to get into the contest but never to the extent that Palace were worried. They did not have to be, as the plan was so good, enabling the good guys, as chairman Steve Parish put it, to win.
Parish: The good guys won
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish hailed a victory for the good guys as his club ended a dramatic and unforgettable season by making history. Though the scoreline was tight, there was never any doubt that Palace deserved to win.
Victory secured a route into next season’s Europa League, the competition they were supposed to play in this year but were demoted from last August due to a discrepancy over multi-club ownership.
Parish sat next to Uefa’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, in the Red Bull Arena and the Slovenian was booed by Palace’s fans when he came out to present Dean Henderson, the exultant captain, with the trophy.
But this story, thanks to Glasner, Mateta and every other member of the squad, had the right ending and Parish said: “The players, the staff, all of the ups and downs we’ve had this season, it’s brilliant to get here and to get in to the Europa League where we deserve to be.
“It just shows that sometimes the good guys win in the end, I think. When I bought the club I wasn’t sure we’d ever play in Europe, let alone win a trophy. It’s a dream come true. We have got a taste for it now, we want to keep it going. We have gone up a level and we have got to try and stay there.”
He added to TNT Sports, with a smile: “We will have a week to celebrate and then work hard in the summer.”
The challenge of finding a manager who can continue Glasner’s outstanding work will be enormous. Results over a taxing 60-game campaign have fluctuated but the Austrian had his team perfectly drilled when it mattered.
He has overseen a 12-month period in which Palace won the FA Cup, the Community Shield and now the Conference League. Glasner said: “The players always listened to me, supported me, trusted in me and believed in what I told them. I can be very demanding. We deserved to win.
“Everyone will tell you I am very demanding and if they drop their standards by one or two per cent I will tell them. It’s only because I want what is best for the team.
“A huge thank you to the players and all of the staff and of course all of the fans. I don’t know how many have travelled from England here but I think they will have a great party and we will join them. Right now I can’t even believe it is the last game.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 27, 2026Oliver Glasner just taking it all in 🥹
He leaves Crystal Palace with an FA Cup, FA Community Shield and now a UEFA Conference League 🏆 🏆 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Ks2yvmcq8L
“It is a good chapter to read in the Crystal Palace book but other good chapters will follow. I said to the players after the FA Cup, go and get what you deserve, the Europa League. Sometimes you have to take a road around and now Crystal Palace is where it should be.”
Asked if there was any chance of changing his mind and staying on, Glasner replied: “No. I have to say thank you to the players. It has been an incredible day.”
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 27, 2026"This club, these players, these fans deserve this"
Oliver Glasner talks winning the Conference League and closing the chapter as Crystal Palace manager...
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Man of the match Adam Wharton had been an injury doubt, having come off against Arsenal on Sunday. It seemed touch and go whether he would be included but he said: “There was a lot of doubt. I spent the last few days with my foot in an ice box and had painkillers.
“I wasn’t going to miss a final with a bit of a swollen ankle.”
Many Palace fans who could not be in Leipzig gathered at Selhurst Park, invading the pitch to celebrate in joyous scenes at the end.
Match details
Crystal Palace Henderson; Riad, Lacroix, Canvot; Muñoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Pino (Guessand 80); Mateta (Strand Larsen 76).
Substitutes Matthews, Benítez, Lerma, Johnson, Clyne, Hughes, Sosa, Richards, Devenny, Cardines.
Booked Wharton, Pino, Riad.
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla; Ratiu, Ciss, Lejeune, Chavarria; Unai López (Díaz 62), Valentín (Mendy 63); De Frutos (Camello 70), Palazón (Akhomach 77), García (Espino 70); Alemao.
Substitutes Cardenas, Molina, Trejo, Gumbau, Balliu.
Booked Ciss, Palazón, Unai López, García.
Referee Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
Attendance 39,176.
Glasner: You cannot do anything alone
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The game was how we expected but I think we played an incredible 15 minutes after half-time. We defended so well at the end. A fantastic evening, this group of players and fans deserve it.
I see myself as part of the group. As a manager, you cannot do anything alone. You need great staff and especially you need great players and people. This is what this group is. They always stick together and work hard. Since day one, we have created the mindset that everything is possible if you work hard.
In the end, it’s the players’ responsibility to take advantage of everything you get offered. On Monday, I think it was 34 degrees in London - I think I left at 5pm, JP [Mateta] and Mitchell had just come back from the cryo chamber. That shows the mindset of the players; they are investing so much and that is why we can lift another trophy.
Steve Parish: The good guys win in the end
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The players, the staff, all of the ups and downs we’ve had this season, it’s brilliant to get here and to get in to the Europa League where we deserve to be. It just shows that sometimes the good guys win in the end, I think.
Wharton on Glasner
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Last game as Palace manager. The difference he has made in two and a half years is incredible. Three trophies for Palace, the first three in the history of the club. First European competition and winning it. Unbelievable. He has got to be one of the best managers Palace have ever had. He has made a massive difference for how the club looks at competitions. We are not just looking to stay in the Premier League and be in Europe, we are looking to win it and be as high as possible.
Wharton’s party on hold
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It’s going to be big. I missed the FA Cup ones last year so I have got two celebrations to catch up on. I’ve got doping unfortunately, which ruins my party a little bit but hopefully I can get that done quickly and get on the beers.
Premier League dominance
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15 - Crystal Palace (15th in the Premier League this season) winning the Conference League is the second lowest any side has finished in a season they won a major European trophy, after Spurs last season (17th). Priority. pic.twitter.com/zq8luPQizF
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 27, 2026
Mitchell: Pure delight, pure emotion
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It’s something you dream of but you don’t think is reality. We have made it a reality I am proud of everyone, past and present, that helped us get to this point.
We played 60 games this season and so many of our bodies are not used to it. There was a few times where we weren’t winning, but if it all meant that we got here and won it we would do it all over again.
It’s the same feeling that we had when we won the FA Cup; pure delight, pure emotion and we are just so happy we got it over the line.
Palace fans are on the pitch at Selhurst Park
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Dean Henderson lifts the trophy!
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Palace are the 2026 Conference League winners. Almost all of the Rayo Vallecano fans have stayed, and the Palace players gave the Spanish side a guard of honour.
Mateta: I am tired right now
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I feel fantastic! I feel fantastic! We did it! First time in Europe and we did it. Now I just want to celebrate. This guy [Joel Ward] has to celebrate with us.
We gave everything. I told you about the intensity they will have and I am tired right now, I gave everything. That’s why we won today.
I am always with the fans. They have supported me a lot as a player. They are always behind us. We did it for them too.
Time for the trophy lift
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Oliver Glasner has just skidded across the turf on his stomach between a tunnel of Palace players.
Another English winner in Europe
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3 - Crystal Palace are the third English team to win the trophy in their first season in major European competition, after West Ham United (1964-65 Cup Winners Cup) and Newcastle United (1968-69 Fairs Cup). Glad. pic.twitter.com/yZ2UKQCBQ5
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 27, 2026
The Palace celebrations begin
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“Let the celebrations begin,” Uefa’s spokesman has just declared. He’s behind time because they have been roaring for 10 minutes. Paradise by Coldplay is now booming out and that is exactly where Crystal Palace are. This is what football is all about. Your heart goes out to the Rayo Vallecano fans, many of whom are sobbing, but this night belongs to Palace. And how they deserve it.
FT: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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You wait 120 years to win a major trophy, then win two in 12 months. Palace are Conference League winners, and qualify for next season’s Europa League.
Palace have played better than that throughout the campaign, but one really strong spell at the start of the second half was enough. Mateta converted after Wharton’s shot was saved, before Pino hit both posts with a free-kick. Mateta missed another good chance.
Palace sat on the lead late on, but Rayo Vallecano were blunt. Mitchell and Wharton the pick of the Palace players.
95 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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No Palace defender got close to Alemao as he chested the ball down around 25 yards from goal, but they need not have worried. He scuffed the shot well wide.
94 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Lacroix heads away a long throw after a strange Strand Larsen slice into touch. Diaz’s shot goes wide, there are muted appeals for a corner, but it is a Palace goal kick. One minute to go.
93 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Strand Larsen harrying, but he loses the ball and Rayo Vallecano are going to launch the ball forward from the goalkeeper.
92 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Palace take the corner short, and Espino has conceded a free-kick. That will do nicely for Glasner and his team.
91 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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It looked like Rayo Vallecano had men over at the back post, but Mitchell won a crucial defensive header. Then he won another tackle on halfway and carried the ball forward, winning a corner when Strand Larsen was waiting in the middle.
90 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Wharton believes he should have a corner, but a goal kick is called. FIVE minutes of added time for Palace to survive.
89 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Good defending from a combination of Lacroix and Canvot to snuff out the danger as Alemao chased a long ball over the top. The counter came from a Palace move breaking down at the edge of the Rayo Vallecano box.
87 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Palace do not looking like scoring a second goal to kill the game, but Rayo Vallecano do not really look like scoring an equaliser. The Spanish team are enjoying plenty of territory, throws in the Palace half and the odd set-piece, but it is not amounting to anything. The ball flicks off Lejeune’s header and behind for a Palace goal kick.
84 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Strand Larsen the latest Palace player to give the ball away cheaply, just after Guessand won a great tackle in midfield.
Better from Strand Larsen to win a foul from Mendy and Palace have a free-kick on halfway.
82 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Palace starting to toil a little now, some legs are looking heavy. Riad is turned in midfield and pulls his man back at the expense of a yellow card. Snap shot from Camello at the edge of the box is always rising. Vallecano have not been able to carve out high-quality chances.
79 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Danger in the Palace box after a Mitchell misjudgement, but they do enough to defend their goal before Lejeune tries a silly shot from long range which flies wide. Another Glasner change: Pino off, Guessand on.
76 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Glasner has made a change now: Strand Larsen has replaced Mateta. Palace are starting to play the scoreboard, sitting in and looking to see the game out. A prudent approach if it finishes with the trophy, but it invites some risk.
74 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Pino has been booked after conceding a free-kick in a dangerous crossing position. Nervous moments for Palace fans, Palazon is over the free-kick, 25 yards out, right of centre. Palazon takes on the shot with his left foot... but is is high, wide and handsome.
71 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Canvot with the chance to find Kamada in a pocket of space inside but the defender hesitated before making the pass. Will Palace regret not scoring that second goal in that spell of heavy pressure? Ratiu floats in a dangerous cross, but Munoz is fouled at the back post by Espino.
68 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Raya Vallecano have improved in the five minutes since making their changes, but Henderson yet to be seriously tested. Here come another couple of changes: Garcia and and De Frutos off, Camello and Espino on.
66 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Lacroix tries to fire a pass through the middle into Mateta and Lejeune intercepted to start a counter, but the ball flicked the referee and he had to stop play. A small let-off for Palace.
64 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Another dangerous attack from Palace, Mitchell is having a stormer down the left. He was very much an out-and-out defender when he first broke into the team, he has come on leap and bounds if the opposition’s half under Glasner. Quick feet in a tight space to release Sarr but he dragged his shot wide of the near post.
62 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Rayo Vallecano making a couple of changes: Lopez and Valentin off, Diaz and Mendy on. They have been overwhelmed by Palace since the start of the second half, they will be thankful to just be the one down.
59 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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There are 39,176 in here and you’d go as far to say that 70 per cent of them are roaring on Crystal Palace. What a noise they are making, what a fantastic occasion this is. Palace have the lead, deservedly so. Let them go on and finish the job. They absolutely deserve it.
56 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Pino hits both posts with the free-kick! That is so unlucky, the goalkeeper was well beaten and Riad could not make contact with the rebound. Somehow Palace fail to score.
But they are away again after another quick forward pass for Wharton, squared across the box by Pino, and Mateta looked sure to score but Batalla made a superb reflex save.
Yeremy Pino 🔥💨
— Yannick Bolasie (@YannickBolasie) May 27, 2026
52 minutes: Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0
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A short stoppage straight after the goal, but Sarr is fit to continue, and now Palace’s player of the season has been brought down just outside the box. Free-kick Palace in a shooting position. Can they move through the gears now?
GOOOAALL! Palace lead though Mateta
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Palace were starting to dominate possession, and now they have the breakthrough goal. Wharton was able to turn in midfield and carry the ball miles under no pressure to edge of the Vallecano box. Too easy, and he took the Palace fans up on their offer as they urged him to shoot. Batalla spilt the shot, and Mateta made contact with his left shin to divert the ball into the net.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 27, 2026Watch the Eagles soar 🦅
Jean-Philippe Mateta with a priceless goal to give Crystal Palace the lead 🔥
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47 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Palace with one of their best moves of the game, Canvot and Lacroix playing first time passes to find Kamada between the lines. Mitchell’s low cross towards Mateta is cleared, and Munoz’s long throw comes to nothing. Neither team has maximised set-pieces so far, they have been pretty unthreatening.
Dom’s view from Leipzig
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What an accomplished footballer Adam Wharton is; through an attritional, tense first half, his left foot and the way he sees the game has demanded you watch him. This game is here for Crystal Palace to win and you suspect Wharton's fingerprints will be on it if they do.
— Dominic King (@DKingTelegraph) May 27, 2026
HT: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Palace started brightly, lost their way somewhat in the middle of the half, before creating and missing the best chance of the final right on half time. They should have enough quality to get the job done, but it is in the balance. Canvot has had a shaky game at the back, and Wharton needs to be careful on a booking. Palace’s best football continues to go through him, though.
45 minutes+3: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Kamada floats a ball in towards Munoz, but Vallecano win the goal kick.
45 minutes+1: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Mitchell misses a sitter! By far and away the best chance of the game. The chance was created by a delightful inswinging cross from the left foot of Adam Wharton, and Mitchell came ghosting in unmarked, but he skewed his header wide from only five yards or so out. Glasner’s look is one of disbelief.
45 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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There will be four minutes of added time to play. Ratiu loses the ball in a dangerous area for Vallecano, but Ciss won an important header to stop Mitchell’s cross finding Mateta.
44 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Lovely pass from Wharton inside the wing-back to feed Munoz, but the Palace man was always stretching, and is penalised for handball after the ball bounces off the defender. Just hasn’t clicked for Palace in the final third.
43 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Adam Wharton shown a yellow card, just got there a little late and caught Palazon after the Rayo Vallecano player poked the ball away from him. Not much force in the challenge. Little quality on the free-kick, and Palace clear.
41 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Sarr cannot quite combine with Munoz, and the resulting Palace corner comes to nothing. Plenty of Palace fans are watching on from Selhurst Park:
39 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Play has now resumed, and Ray Vallecano have gone close to the opening goal. Cross comes in from the right, set back to the edge of the box and Lopez tried to pass the ball into the bottom corner. Not quite enough bend on it, but Henderson was rooted.
36 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Play has been stopped because of a medical emergency in the Rayo Vallecano end. Their goalkeeper spotted something was amiss and went down to stop the game. The referee has pointed at his watch, and the decision has been relayed to both sets of fans. Stewards are dealing with the situation.
34 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Promising break forward from Rayo Vallecano after Wharton and then Mitchell went down looking for fouls. De Frutos carried the ball forward but Lacroix did well to defend and win a goalkeeper.
Rayo Vallecano’s goalkeeper Batalla has gone down and pointed to something in the crowd.
29 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Rayo Vallecano have settled in possession now, they are finding it more easy to progress the ball beyond the halfway line. The good news for Palace is their opponents do not look especially dangerous. But Glasner’s team have lost some of the thrust of the opening 15 minutes.
26 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Palace look to have much more quality than Vallecano. They have settled quicker and look like they can find an opening if they stick to their plan of playing direct. They have more power, they have sufficient quality and the game is theirs to win. Easier said than done, of course, but on a night when they haven’t lacked for backing, the moment is there to seize.
25 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Half a chance for Rayo Vallecano and their striker Alemao, but he was not anticipating the cross to make it past Riad and he toed the ball just wide. Neat play from the Spanish side in the build-up, finding the space to the side of Palace’s midfield two, which can be a weak point in their system.
23 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Palace fail to make anything of that free-kick, before Lacroix concedes an unnecessary corner. Lopez’s delivery bounces across the box, before Palazon is booked for a late challenge on Mitchell. That is two Rayo Vallecano players on bookings now.
20 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Mistake at the back from Ciss, Rayo Vallecano’s centre-back, and he is booked. Wharton intercepted in midfield and clipped a ball forward for Pino to chase, and Ciss looked 60:40 favourite to win the ball but missed it and brought the Palace forward down. There was one covering defender, or else that could have been deemed the denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.
17 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Rayo Vallecano with their best attacking moment so far. Canvot tried to shepherd the ball behind for a goal kick, but the ball was never travelling fast enough. No red and white shirt was picked out with the low cross. The Spanish team starting to see more of the ball now.
15 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Munoz almost gets in down the right after a slip by Chavarria, but Palace keep the pressure on and win a corner. Wharton trots across to take the inswinger but the referee awards Vallecano a free-kick foir grappling in the box.
11 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Ratiu floats in a cross from the right flank for Vallecano, but it is straight down the throat of Henderson. Palace’s shape out of possession looks solid, they are pressing high with five and then dropping off into their usual 5-2-3 shape.
9 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Plenty of graft and industry from both teams, the game is being played at a fast tempo. Lacroix lets a long ball bounce near the edge of this box but defends well in the end, before Wharton is fouled again after neat combination play by Palace in midfield.
Pino almost pokes a through ball forward for Mateta, before Sarr chops on to his left foot in the box and his shot is blocked. Good from Palace again.
5 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Positive start from Palace, with Mateta wasting a chance to find the run of Sarr in the box before the Premier League side win a free-kick around 40 yards out. Wharton lifts the ball towards Lacroix and Palace keep it alive, but Vallecano defend the follow up cross aimed at Mateta. Palace looking to put the ball in the box at every opportunity.
Battle of the tifos
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If the contest is to be decided by the fans, Palace have won this hands down.
2 minutes: Palace 0 Rayo Vallecano 0
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Munoz launched a long throw into the Vallecano box, but the ball flicks behind for a goal kick. Glasner on his feet already and is barking instructions. Riad wins his first challenge near the touchline, which should help settle the defender down.
KICK OFF!
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Palace get the final under way, and immediately gain territory with a long ball forward towards Sarr.
The teams are out
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The Leipzig Stadium looks a picture, there have been some sterile venues for European finals but both sets of fans are making this a cracking atmosphere.
Stadium full with both sets of supporters now
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Glasner on his team selection
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We knew we had to prepare for anything that could happen [with Chris Richards’ availability] so it’s good that he [Riad] has played a few games and a full 90 against Arsenal.
We spoke to Chris. He can play maybe 10,15 minutes if we need him. Anything more makes no sense.
These Palace fans travelled with a companion
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These nights remain special for club’s locked outside elite
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A personal bugbear but let’s share it with the masses: why do people judge this competition like it is some kind of booby prize? It’s hugely disrespectful and it flies in the face of what football is about. Most teams start the season with a chance of winning three trophies. If you are in Europe, it goes up to four. Success isn’t entitled to anyone and the two sets of supporters on this fantastic stadium won’t be feeling any different to those from Paris St-Germain and Arsenal who arrive in Budapest this weekend. These opportunities are rare: they should be grasped.
Palace breaking new ground
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— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 27, 20262001 - Crystal Palace are the first side to reach the final in their maiden campaign in major European competition since Alaves in 2000-01.
Eagles. pic.twitter.com/XXZXMdgZh8
What a night for Palace fans
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So, here we go. 52 minutes to kick-off and Dean Henderson has just run out with Dean Kiely, Crystal Palace’s goalkeeper coach, and his back ups Walter Benitez and Remi Matthews to a cheer that has made this magnificent stadium come alive. Leipzig has been a sea of red and blue all day and the joy these supporters have got from this adventure is obvious. This is the moment to finish the job.
The story of Oscar Trejo
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The 38-year-old has spent a total of 10 seasons at Rayo Vallecano, and resigned the captaincy in 2023 over the club’s treatment of staff and supporters. Trejo has already said goodbye to the club’s home fans, and could bow out in style this evening. He starts on the bench.
Glasner’s big calls
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Chris Richards is one of the unsung heroes in this Palace team, but that ankle twist sustained at Brentford keeps him on the bench. It means Chadi Riad deputises in the back three. Glasner has opted for his more offensive midfield axis by picking Kamada next to Wharton, who has recovered from a knock against Arsenal. No surprises in the front three, that is Palace’s most potent attack.
Palace team news: Richards only fit enough for the bench
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Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Riad, Lacroix, Canvot, Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell, Sarr, Mateta, Pino
Subs: Matthews, Benitez, Lerma, Johnson, Clyne, Hughes, Larsen, Sosa, Richards, Guessand, Devenny, Cardines
Rayo Vallecano XI: Batalla, Ratiu, Ciss, Lejeune, Chavarria, Unai Lopez, Valentin, de Frutos, Palazon, Garcia, Alemao
Subs: Cardenas, Molina, Diaz, Trejo, Camello, Akhomach, Gumbau, Balliu, Espino, Mendy
Our Palace to take on Rayo Vallecano 🤌
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 27, 2026
Palace fans on their way
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🔴🔵 A red and blue human train makes its way towards the Red Bull Stadion for the biggest night in Crystal Palace's history. pic.twitter.com/Me7QSg1zR0
— Dominic King (@DKingTelegraph) May 27, 2026
Dominic King watched Palace train at close quarters
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Usually when a club opens its doors before a European game, you are only allowed to see some jogging, stretching and those run-of-the-mill passing exercises; photographers take their pictures of everyone looking happy and, before the serious business starts, we are asked to leave.
This is not the case now, though. It quickly becomes apparent that it would be folly not to take this opportunity to focus on Glasner, the best manager in Palace’s history whose fabulous reign will end after the showdown with Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in the Uefa Conference League final.
The biggest night in the history of both clubs
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This is the kind of night for which the Uefa Conference League was devised as Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano each play in their first European final.
Silverware is up for grabs, as well as a place in next season’s Europa League. Palace fans will view that reward as poetic justice after they fell foul of Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules and were denied a place in the competition this season, benefiting Nottingham Forest.
It is also a chance for Oliver Glasner to sign off with another major trophy following last year’s unlikely FA Cup triumph. Palace’s head coach decided halfway through the season that this campaign would be his last at Selhurst Park.
Rayo Vallecano are based in a suburb of Madrid, and are extremely proud of their working-class roots in one of the city’s barrios. Tickets for their home games can only be purchased in person at the stadium, not online, and the fanbase revels in standing against commercialisation and other trappings of the modern game.
While there is a romance to their vision, there has also been discontent, with players publicly voicing their concern about the state of the club’s crumbling facilities in a message to their unpopular owner.
Being based on the edge of a metropolis and competing with far more powerful neighbours... that will strike a chord for Palace fans too, though the financial rewards of the Premier League give them a notable advantage. English clubs have won the Conference League in two of the last three seasons, and the last two Europa Leagues.
Palace were not particularly impressive in the league phase but have seen off Zrijnski Mostar, Larnaca, Fiorentina and Shakhtar Donetsk in the knock-out rounds.
Rayo Vallecano defeated Strasbourg, one of Chelsea’s sister clubs under the ownership of BlueCo, in the semi-finals. Head coach Iñigo Pérez worked under Andoni Iraola at the club, before his former boss tried to take him to Bournemouth. He was refused a UK work permit.
Full team news on the way shortly.