Crystal Palace vs ACF Fiorentina

Crystal Palace put in a commanding display at Selhurst Park, beating Fiorentina 3-0 in the UEFA Conference League quarter-final first leg. The night's standout storyline was the return of Jean-Philippe Mateta, making his first start since late January — he converted a penalty just 24 minutes in on an emotional comeback. Dodô gifted the opener with a clumsy foul in the box, earning a yellow card. Seven minutes later, Tyrick Mitchell tapped home a rebound after Daichi Kamada's throughball and Daniel Munoz's cutback caused havoc in the area. Ismaïla Sarr — now on five Conference League goals this season — nodded in a third in injury time. Fiorentina's only real threat was a second-half strike off the crossbar. Fiorentina, sitting just five points above the Serie A relegation zone, face a near-impossible task in the second leg in Florence. For Crystal Palace, unbeaten in their last seven Conference League outings, a first European semi-final is firmly within reach.