Crystal Palace crowned Conference League champions

May 28, 2026 / 10:17 AM

Sharjah 24: English side Crystal Palace claimed the first European title in their history — and the first continental trophy of any kind — in their maiden European final on Wednesday evening, as they defeated Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the UEFA Conference League final in Leipzig.

Palace owed their historic continental triumph to the outstanding display of French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who scored the only goal of the match in the 50th minute.

The victory handed England its second European title of the season after Aston Villa lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy last week.

Attention turns to Champions League final

With the biggest all-English European showdown still to come on Saturday in Budapest, where Arsenal face reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, attention on Wednesday night shifted to Leipzig, where Glasner sought what he described as the “perfect ending” to his successful spell in charge.

Glasner bows out after historic spell

The 51-year-old Austrian coach Oliver Glasner took charge of his final match with Palace, bringing the curtain down on a highly successful two-year period since arriving at the club in 2024.

During his tenure, Glasner guided the London club to the first major trophy in its 120-year history by winning the FA Cup in his first full season in charge.

After also defeating Liverpool in the Community Shield at the start of the current campaign, he capped off his reign by delivering European glory, securing Palace a place in next season’s Europa League.

That came a year after the club had been stripped of its right to compete in the competition despite winning the FA Cup, due to UEFA regulations concerning multi-club ownership.