ECL: Palace run riot after break as Fiorentina collapse

The break did wonders for Crystal Palace.

Refreshed after nearly three weeks without competitive action, Oliver Glasner's side exploded out of the blocks at Selhurst Park, overwhelming a flat and unrecognisable Fiorentina to take a commanding 3-0 advantage into the second leg.

From the very first whistle, Palace looked sharper, quicker, and hungrier. The hosts seized control early and made it count in a devastating seven-minute spell midway through the first half.

It all started with Daniel Munoz, whose relentless runs down the right caused chaos. One such move led to a penalty after Dodo brought down Eberechi Eze's replacement on the flank, with VAR confirming the decision. Jean-Philippe Mateta stepped up and coolly ended his goal drought to make it 1-0.

Moments later, it was deja vu. Munoz was involved again, Mateta forced a save from David de Gea, and Tyrick Mitchell reacted quickest to slot home the rebound.

Fiorentina, so often a Conference League regular in recent years, had no answer. Their only real first-half threat came through Albert Gudmundsson, but it was Palace who dictated the tempo throughout.

The second half briefly hinted at a response - Giacomo Bonaventura rattled the woodwork - but any hopes of a comeback were crushed late on when Ismaila Sarr added a third to cap a dominant display.

With history on their side and a three-goal cushion in hand, Palace now look well on course to follow the path of English clubs like Leicester, West Ham, Aston Villa and Chelsea, and take a decisive step toward the UEFA Europa Conference League final.

UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE - QUARTER FINALS

First leg

Thursday

Rayo Vallecano - AEK 3-0 (2-0)

/Ahkomach 2, Lopez 45+2, Palazon 74 pen/

Crystal Palace - Fiorentina 3-0 (2-0)

/Mateta 24 pen, Mitchell 31, Sarr 90/

Mainz - Strasbourg 2-0 (2-0)

/Sano 11, Posch 19/

Shakhtar - AZ Alkmaar 3-0 (0-0)

/Pedrinho 72, Santana 81,83/