LUBLIN, Poland (BN24) — Crystal Palace made a winning start to their UEFA Conference League debut on Thursday, defeating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in Poland and extending their unbeaten run to a club-record 19 matches.
Daniel Muñoz opened the scoring in the first half with a towering header for the Premier League side, who are playing in their first full European campaign. The Colombian wing-back rose above the defense to connect with a cross in Lublin, where Dynamo are hosting their European fixtures due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Eddie Nketiah added a second for Palace shortly before the hour mark, turning in a low delivery from Yeremy Pino, who impressed throughout the match. The result secured Palace’s first-ever group stage win in European competition and solidified their status as one of the early favorites in the tournament.
However, the Eagles were forced to finish the match with 10 men after defender Borna Sosa received two yellow cards in quick succession with 15 minutes remaining.
Palace earned their European spot after beating Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final, but were placed in the Conference League instead of the Europa League following a breach of UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations.
The London club’s only previous taste of continental football came in a two-legged Intertoto Cup tie in 1998.
Palace will next host AEK Larnaca of Cyprus on October 23. Their group stage opponents also include AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Strasbourg (France), Shelbourne (Ireland), and KuPS (Finland), as they aim to make a deep run in their European campaign.
