Crystal Palace secured a 3-1 victory over AZ at Selhurst Park in the Conference League, with Ismaila Sarr scoring twice. This win marked a return to form for Oliver Glasner's team after their unexpected
1-0 loss to Larnaca in their previous match. Maxence Lacroix opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, capitalising on Marc Guehi's header to strike into the bottom-left corner.
AZ struggled defensively, allowing Sarr to double Palace's lead just before half-time. He capitalised on a set-piece that AZ failed to clear effectively. Despite AZ captain Sven Mijnans' deflected goal in the 54th minute, which momentarily raised hopes of a comeback, Sarr quickly restored Palace's two-goal advantage three minutes later. Released by Jean-Philippe Mateta, Sarr calmly slotted past Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro.
AZ's difficulties in England continued as they lost their 11th consecutive match on English soil in major European competitions. They have conceded 31 goals during these visits. Furthermore, AZ have not won any of their last 13 away games in major European tournaments, drawing two and losing ten while conceding multiple goals in 12 of those matches.
Palace's performance was dominant, reflected by their expected goals (xG) tally of 3.81 compared to AZ's 1.18. This victory moved Crystal Palace up to eighth place, while AZ dropped to 27th after suffering their second defeat in three European fixtures.
pic.twitter.com/ILTVJKg9B9 Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) November 6, 2025
Jean-Philippe Mateta had an opportunity to score earlier but saw his penalty saved by Owusu-Oduro after being fouled by him. Despite this miss, Mateta played a crucial role by assisting Sarr for his second goal. The win was well-deserved for Palace as they dominated the game and capitalised on AZ's defensive lapses.
The match highlighted Crystal Palace's ability to bounce back from setbacks and maintain pressure on opponents throughout the game. Their effective use of set-pieces and quick counter-attacks proved decisive against an AZ side struggling with consistency away from home.
