Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner praised Christantus Uche and his teammates’ performance after they dominated Shelbourne 3-0 on Thursday night, SportPremi reports.
The English side passed their tough test at the Tallaght Stadium in Dublin, in a match-day five clash in the UEFA Conference League, as they closed in on the top eight.
Super Eagles versatile midfielder Uche gave head coach Eric Chelle a reminder of what he’ll be missing at the 2025 AFCON after being omitted from the final squad, delivering a standout, player-of-the-match performance in the win.
The Eagles are up to ninth on the standings with nine points and are only a point from the automatic playoff positions.
Uche shines on first European start
Nigerian international Christantus Uche started in the lineup as a replacement for the injured Jean-Philippe Mateta, making his first European start for the club.
It took only 11 minutes for the youngster to justify Oliver Glasner’s decision, as he slotted into the net from a pass by Eddie Nketiah to put his side in front.
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The Nigerian man was at the hearts of things again after his shot came back off the post, but Nketiah was on hand to tap home a second.
Yeremy Pino added a third in the 37th minute after a brilliant run, as the front three all got on the scoresheet for the visitors.
Crystal Palace continued the onslaught as they hit the post twice in the second half, before the impressive Uche spurned another chance to add to the lead.
The game ended 3-0 in favor of the Eagles, who boosted their chances of finishing in the top eight of the competition.
Glasner hails superb Palace display
Oliver Glasner handed Christantus Uche his first European start of the campaign, despite the Nigerian underwhelming start to his Crystal Palace career.
It proved to be a masterstroke as the 22-year-old ran the show, playing a part in the first two goals and also creating other chances for his teammates.
“Credit to the players for their attitude today. The pitch was not in the best condition, they’re playing against a team who want to show up and I think we played a very good game”, Glasner revealed after the win.
“First half, scored nice goals. We spoke at half-time to keep the pace high and we did, created many chances and unfortunately we missed a few and were unlucky with Romain Esse’s finish.
“Against a team who defends so deep, I think it was our best game. So many chances, scoring three goals, clean sheet – a very good night.”
After missing out on Nigeria’s squad for the African Cup of Nations, Uche will be keen on getting more playing minutes at Crystal Palace, as he hopes to get back to his best.
The Eagles host Manchester City in the EPL on Sunday, in a repeat of the 2025 FA Cup final which they won by a lone goal.
