Crystal Palace claim their first ever European trophy after beating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the UEFA Conference League final

Crystal Palace’s Eddie Nketiah celebrates with the UEFA Conference League trophy (Photo: Maja Hitij/Getty Images) Jean-Philippe Mateta was the hero for Crystal Palace as the English club beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the Conference League final on Wednesday to claim their first ever European trophy. The win also gave outgoing manager Oliver Glasner the perfect farewell before leaving the club at the end of the season.The game was tense and scoreless for most of the first half, with neither side managing to get a shot on target. Palace finally broke through in the 51st minute when Adam Wharton’s long-range effort was pushed away by Rayo keeper Augusto Batalla. Mateta reacted quickly to score from the rebound to send Palace into the lead.The triumph capped off a memorable period for Palace under Glasner, who took over in February 2024. After guiding the club to their first major trophy via the FA Cup last season, the Austrian coach now leaves with a European title as well.Palace fans celebrated the occasion with a giant ‘Europa League: Boarding’ banner before kick-off as the win also secured the club a place in next season’s Europa League. Glasner admitted that he now plans to follow the team’s journey from home next year.The result also kept English clubs on course for a clean sheet in Europe’s top competitions this season after Aston Villa won the Europa League and Arsenal reached the Champions League final.It was a heartbreaking end to Rayo Vallecano’s first major European final. Some fans were left in tears after the final whistle as their side fell short against Palace.Rayo had several chances, including Alemão’s early volley, while Palace almost doubled their lead when Yeremy Pino’s free-kick hit both posts without going in. Despite their efforts, the Spanish side could not find an equalizer as Palace held on to make history.