Crystal Palace beat Shakhtar 3-1 in Conference League semi

Crystal Palace secured a commanding 3-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League semifinal on Thursday night at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland. Ismaïla Sarr scored after just 21 seconds, the fastest goal in the competition's history, with Daichi Kamada and substitute Jorgen Strand Larsen adding further strikes to give the English side a two-goal advantage ahead of the return leg.

Sarr's opener came from a swift move after kickoff. Maxence Lacroix won the initial header from Shakhtar's clearance, and Jean-Philippe Mateta combined with Yeremy Pino before slipping the ball to Sarr, who slotted it into the bottom corner for his eighth goal in the tournament. Shakhtar, playing their European home games in Poland due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, responded by dominating possession in the first half but struggled to create clear chances. Dean Henderson in the Palace goal faced little action, while Dmytro Riznyk denied a shot from Adam Wharton.

Two minutes into the second half, Shakhtar leveled when Pedrinho's corner deflected, Kauã Elias nodded it down, and Oleh Ocheretko poked home from close range. Palace quickly...