Strasbourg secured a huge 2-1 comeback victory over Crystal Palace in the UEFA Conference League, thanks to 20-year-old Samir El Mourabet, who scored his first senior goal on a night full of twists, nerves, and a few head-shaking moments.
Strasbourg celebrated the win via their official X account.
View the post below:
Softfootball understands that both teams came in with perfect defensive records before half-time in the competition, so the early tension felt almost expected. That changed 10 minutes before the break when Palace, who recently defeated AZ Alkmaar 3-1 in the UEFA Conference League, struck first.
Jean-Philippe Mateta used his strength brilliantly to hold off Lucas Høgsberg, laying the ball off for Tyrick Mitchell. The left-back, who rarely scores, curled a neat finish into the far corner for just his fifth goal in over 200 Palace games.
The visitors nearly doubled their lead moments later after Strasbourg goalkeeper Mike Penders wandered far out of his box. Ismaïla Sarr tried to punish him with a long-range effort that smacked the inside of the post, and somehow the ball stayed out. Penders soon redeemed himself, though, denying Yéremy Pino with a smart save five minutes before halftime.
And that save proved massive, because eight minutes after the restart, Strasbourg equalised. Diego Moreira burst down the left and delivered a perfect cross for captain Emmanuel Emegha, who slotted home his seventh goal of the season.
Strasbourg began to take control, but Penders’ unpredictable evening continued. Another misjudged rush out of goal gifted Adam Wharton a golden chance, only for the Palace midfielder to crash his effort off the crossbar. Penders then kept out another Pino attempt, and once again, Strasbourg punished Palace immediately.
With 13 minutes left, Julio Enciso’s free kick rattled the bar, and the rebound fell kindly to young El Mourabet, who kept his composure to fire in the winner.
Dean Henderson produced a late save from Kendry Páez to keep Palace alive, but Strasbourg, who recently played a 2-2 draw against PSG, held firm, moving to 10 points from four matches. Palace, four points behind, saw their five-game unbeaten run snapped in frustrating fashion.
