Crystal Palace narrowly defeat Fredrikstad in Conference League

LODNON: Crystal Palace opened their European campaign with a 1-0 win over Fredrikstad in their first leg of the Conference League playoff at Selhurst Park.

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal early in the second half. His header followed a deflected shot by Will Hughes that fell into the box. Mateta’s strike broke the deadlock in the match where chances were limited.

Palace dominated possession throughout the game but struggled to break down Fredrikstad’s packed defence. The Norwegian team played with a deep defensive line and aimed to counterattack when possible. They remained disciplined and made it hard for Palace to find clear openings.

Fredrikstad, recently promoted to Norway’s top division and domestic cup winners, limited Crystal Palace chances to shoot from distances or crosses from wide areas.

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Marc Geuhi led Palace’s defence well. New singing Borna Sosa also impressed on his full debut. Justin Devenny replaced the injured Eberechi Eze but found it difficult to influence the game.

Palace had over 25 attempts in total but only five were on target. Their control of the ball was clear with 74 per cent possession. Despite this, Fredrikstad was able to stay organised and defend set-pieces well.

Fredrikstad showed flashes of attacking threat late in the game.  A late shot in stoppage time missed the target by a small margin. The visitors kept pressure on Palace’s defence in the closing minutes but failed to score.

The return leg will be played next Thursday on artificial turf in Norway. Palace face the challenge of adapting to the surface and maintaining their narrow advantage.

Palace’s key player Eze withdrew shortly before kick-off due to illness. He is expected to complete a move to a Premier League rival shortly. His advance affected Palace’s attacking options.