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Crystal Palace Wins 3-1, Sets Fastest CL Goal

5/2/2026

Summary

Crystal Palace Wins

Crystal Palace beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 in the Conference League semi-final first leg in Krakow.
Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr scored after 21 seconds, setting the fastest Conference League goal record.
Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada added a half-volley before the hour.
Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner said the win proved the team stuck to the plan and would earn a trophy to cap his tenure.

Summary

Palace vs Shakhtar

The UEFA match between Crystal Palace and Shakhtar Donetsk kicked off at 19:00 UTC on 30 April 2026 at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Kraków, Poland and aired on TNT Sports (UK), CBS Sports/Paramount+ (US), Megogo (Ukraine) and UEFA.TV elsewhere.
Bookmakers favored Palace with odds of 19/20 and 4/11, while Shakhtar were priced as outsiders at 13/5 and 2/1.
Shakhtar topped the Ukrainian Premier League by eight points with five games left.

History

Historical Context

In the 2007 UEFA Champions League round of 16, Roy Makaay netted for Bayern Munich after 10.12 seconds, establishing the competition’s fastest goal record. Bayern’s 3-1 victory over Real Madrid featured a 70-minute possession dominance, quantified by a 68% ball-possession share throughout the match. Crystal Palace’s 21-second opener by Ismaila Sarr against Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2026 Conference League mirrors Makaay’s strike, underscoring clubs’ intent to seize momentum instantly. Such record-breaking bursts compel managers like Oliver Glasner to design aggressive opening tactics, influencing future UEFA competition strategies and betting markets.

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Crystal Palace Wins

Crystal Palace beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 in the Conference League semi-final first leg in Krakow.
Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr scored after 21 seconds, setting the fastest Conference League goal record.
Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada added a half-volley before the hour.
Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner said the win proved the team stuck to the plan and would earn a trophy to cap his tenure.

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