Crystal Palace thrash Lech Poznan in Europa League debut

Crystal Palace made their UEFA Europa League debut in style, cruising to a 4-0 win over Polish champions Lech Poznan at Selhurst Park.

A debut that clicks

The visitors almost had a nightmare start when Mikael Ishak missed a chance from six yards inside the opening minutes. But Palace responded quickly. Yeremy Pino intercepted a long throw across his own box, drove into the area and finished into the corner to give the Eagles the lead.

The second goal followed soon after, and it was built on a familiar mix of set-piece quality and finishing. A corner by Adam Wharton was met by Chris Richards at the back post, whose header found the net.

Pino sets the tone

Pino again played a major role in Palace’s third. He stole possession on the left flank, carried the ball into the area and was brought down, leading to a penalty as Palace tightened their grip on the match.

The scoring was completed by Eddie Nketiah, who struck from the bench to make sure the night ended with a comfortable win.

As Sky Sports reports, Palace controlled the game from early on and took all three points in their first ever Europa League outing. The next step is to back this performance up in their following fixtures.