Crystal Palace won the UEFA Conference League final with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring the only goal of the game against Rayo Vallecano.
The victory brought Oliver Glasner’s tenure at Selhurst Park to a triumphant close, with the manager having made clear he wanted to win one final trophy before departing.
Glasner’s dream was realised at the Red Bull Arena in Germany, where Mateta’s close-range finish proved to be the difference between the two sides.
The first half was a tame affair with neither team managing a single shot on target throughout the opening 45 minutes.
Tyrick Mitchell came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half, flinging himself into the air to meet Adam Wharton’s cross, only to direct his header wide.
Palace were a transformed side after the interval, and Mateta broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half by turning the ball home from close range.
The Frenchman went close to adding a second but was denied by a brilliant save from Augusto Batalla, while Rayo Vallecano never looked like finding an equaliser at the other end.
The win means Glasner departs having secured three trophies during his time at the club, and it also guarantees Palace a place in the Europa League next season.
A significant financial reward accompanies the victory, with Palace having already earned €17.3m before the final through participation fees, prize money, and value pillar payments, per Swiss Ramble.
The club received an additional €3m in prize money for winning the final, and are guaranteed £4m in Europa League group stage participation money, bringing their total earnings to €24.8m, equivalent to £21.5m.
Speaking ahead of the final, Glasner said: “Yesterday they had a nice farewell for me, and then I said a few words. I said that for me, the best thing would be, of course, winning tomorrow – but not for winning tomorrow, but because then they plan European football in the Europa League next year.”
Glasner added: “They would get next year what we should have gotten this year. Then I said I would like to watch on TV that they would start their Europa League with the desire and the confidence that they can win the Europa League as well. This would make me really happy.”
That total could be further boosted depending on how Palace perform in next season’s Europa League competition.
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