Andrew Olsson
March 19, 2026UEFA Conference League: Sarr the hero as Crystal Palace advance in extra time
UEFA Conference League: Sarr the hero as Crystal Palace advance in extra time
Senegal national team star Ismaïla Sarr made the difference on Thursday for English Premier League club Crystal Palace, who advanced to the UEFA Conference League quarterfinals following a 2-1 second leg victory at Cypriot club AEK Larnaca.
The winger continues to be a crucial member of the Palace attack and now has fourteen goals in all competitions this season.
After being held to a 0-0 first leg draw in London, the Premier League club appeared to be in substantial danger of a surprise elimination but did enough to advance. A strong start put the visitors on the front foot in the 14th minute when Sarr reacted quickest to a deflected pass from midfield to collect the ball and round goalkeeper Zlatan Alomerovic for the finish.
But the tie was far from over. After having a potential second goal disallowed by VAR soon after his opener, Sarr and his teammates had more work to do after Enric Saborit equalized for AEK shortly after the hour mark.
Despite Saborit receiving a second yellow card ten minutes later to reduce the hosts to ten players, they endured multiple attacks from the favorites to send the match into extra time.
In the end, however, it was the Premier League club who advanced thanks to their Senegalese superstar. A short corner in the 99th minute led to Daichi Kamada’s low cross finding Sarr for a first-time finish to break the deadlock for good.
A controversial and dramatic end to extra time saw the hosts denied a penalty appeal, leading to objects thrown on the pitch plenty of disorder on the pitch in the final minutes. Sarr had a golden opportunity for his hat-trick but put a shot off the post with an empty net begging. However, the Eagles held on through an extended period of stoppage time to confirm a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Crystal Palace will next face Fiorentina in the quarterfinals after the Italian club overcame Poland’s Raków Częstochowa 4-2 on aggregate. In the Premier League, their next fixture is at home against Newcastle on April 11 following the upcoming FIFA window.