Oliver Glasner has downplayed Crystal Palace’s chances of progressing to the Conference League final despite securing a commanding lead against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Eagles produced a clinical performance at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow on Thursday night to seal a 3-1 first-leg advantage in the semi-finals after goals from Ismaila Sarr, Daichi Kamada and Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Despite Glasner’s side running out comfortable winners, Shakhtar dominated possession, and they pegged Palace back in the 47th minute when Oleh Ocheretko fired home from a corner.
Palace will be overwhelming favourites to progress to their first European final when the two sides meet again at Selhurst Park next week.
Glasner, though, is adamant that his team will need to improve if they are to reach next month’s showpiece in Leipzig.
“Overall, we are very pleased with the performance, but it is just the first step,” Glasner said.
“We will analyse this game because I believe we have to perform even better at home to go to Leipzig to the final.”
Palace reacted superbly after conceding an equaliser two minutes after the restart, with Kamada restoring the visitors’ lead before Strand Larsen struck on the break to make it 3-1 with six minutes remaining.
Glasner praised his team’s spirit for bouncing back from Ocheretko‘s leveller and said he always believed that they had the goals to take the game away from Shakhtar.
“It's just an amazing group of people, of men, of characters. It's with such a great spirit, such a great togetherness, and we always believe in us,” he said.
“There's no button we can press and switch it on, I think this is what we created over months and maybe years, that we know that we can always come back and that we always are able to score a goal.
“But doing our job, doing our foundation for the team, and this always starts with the attackers. I think that's why we have this belief, and this helped us today again, but against a very good Shakhtar Donetsk side.”
