Sarr eyes to break more records after Crystal Palace goal

Senegal forward Ismaïla Sarr has reacted to his fastest goal in UEFA Europa Conference League history which helped Crystal Palace to secure a 3-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of the semifinal clash on Thursday.

Playing at Shakhtar’s current home ground, the Henryk Reyman Stadium, Sarr struck after just 21 seconds, finishing brilliantly after a pass from Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Sarr, Sarr will tear you apart again 🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/pglgL653Vr

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) April 30, 2026

According to Opta Sports, the Senegalese winger’s goal is officially the quickest in Conference League history. Sarr’s strike gave early advantage to Palace but Shakhtar responded early in the second half through Oleg Ocheretko in the 47th minute.

However, Crystal Palace regained advantage as Daichi Kamada restored their lead in the 58th minute with a second goal, before Jørgen Strand Larsen sealed the victory with a late strike in the 84th minute.

‘We want to break more than record’

“The goal? I say ‘congratulations to Isma,’ it’s a record and we want to break more than a record. That’s what we’re here for. If the team needs us, we’re here to help them win,” said Sarr in an interview.

He added: “We told ourselves that we had to go after this team, that we couldn’t let them play because they’re a good team that plays good football. We were prepared for that.

“So, we pushed from the first minutes and we scored.”

The Senegal star’s 21-second effort easily eclipsed the previous Conference League record held by Ferdy Druijf. Druijf had originally set the mark in 2022 when he scored after 32 seconds for Rapid Vienna against Vitesse Arnhem.

Sarr’s strike now stands alone as the quickest since the competition was established by UEFA in 2021. The second leg will take place next Thursday at Selhurst Park, where Palace will look to complete their journey to the final.

Awaiting the winner on May 27 is a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League final at Red Bull Arena Leipzig, where they will meet either Rayo Vallecano or RC Strasbourg Alsace.