Oliver Glasner admission speaks volumes after remarkable Crystal Palace turnaround

Crystal Palace secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev in their Conference League group stage opener held in Poland.

However, manager Oliver Glasner remains cautious and is not letting the result distract him from their upcoming Premier League clash with Everton.

The Eagles extended their remarkable unbeaten run to 19 matches with this impressive win against the Ukrainian champions.

Daniel Munoz scored Palace’s first-ever away goal in European competition just after the half-hour mark, followed by Eddie Nketiah, who came on as a second-half substitute and scored in the 58th minute. Both goals were assisted by crosses from Yeremy Pino on the left wing.

Despite breaking a record that dates back to 1969—when Palace went 18 games unbeaten on their way to promotion to the old First Division—Glasner stayed grounded and avoided any celebrations.

“I’m proud of our start in the Conference League against a very strong opponent, but I’m not focused on the unbeaten run because it’s already happened,” Glasner said at a press conference.

“The team is very hungry and ambitious, so keeping their focus high isn’t difficult. We always want to win the next game, and I congratulated the players on a good start.

We respect Dynamo Kyiv hugely, so starting with a win away is very positive. But now our attention shifts immediately to preparing for Everton on Sunday. Every competition is equally important.”

Palace controlled most of the game at Kyiv’s temporary home at the Motor Lublin Arena—a venue used due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine—despite Borna Sosa being sent off after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession.

Even with 10 men, Dynamo struggled to create meaningful chances in the final 15 minutes.

“We dominated the match for the most part, though after the red card the pressure increased a bit. Overall, I believe we deserved the victory,” Glasner commented.

He also noted the tactical adaptations faced in Europe compared to the Premier League. “European opponents seem to react differently to our style.

In the Premier League, teams mostly stick to their systems, but both Fredrikstad and Kyiv started with unexpected formations. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues.”

Jean-Philippe Mateta was given his first call-up to the France national team but didn’t score and was replaced at halftime by Nketiah, who made a bigger impact in attack.

“That call-up was well deserved,” Glasner said. “We found out just before leaving for the stadium. I’m very happy for him. But now is not the time to celebrate, we must stay focused. Still, it’s satisfying to see his hard work recognized.”