C3 Cup: Crystal Palace Makes History by Reaching the Semifinals

Crystal Palace has historically advanced to the European Cup semifinals for the first time after defeating Fiorentina.

Crystal Palace lost 1-2 to Fiorentina in the quarter-final second leg early this morning, but still secured a spot in the C3 Cup semifinals with an aggregate score of 4-2. Their next opponent will be Shakhtar Donetsk.

In the other bracket, Strasbourg impressively staged a comeback to secure their place among the top four teams, where they will face Rayo Vallecano.

Crystal Palace Makes History

Ismaila Sarr provided Palace with a dream start in the 17th minute by meeting Daniel Munoz's cross and scoring a powerful header past David de Gea. This marks the Senegalese striker's seventh goal in ten appearances in this season's Conference League.

Fiorentina sparked hope in the 30th minute when Jaydee Canvot fouled Rolando Mandragora inside the penalty area. From the penalty spot, Gudmundsson deceived Dean Henderson to equalize 1-1 for the home team.

Pressure mounted on the away team in the first ten minutes of the second half when Ndour ignited the stadium with a long-range shot from over 27 meters, driving the ball straight into the bottom corner of the net. Nevertheless, Palace promptly adjusted their formation, slowed the pace of the match, and successfully neutralized Fiorentina's attacking moves. Despite losing 1-2 in this match, Palace advanced due to their 3-0 victory in the first leg.

In the semifinals, they will face Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), a team that drew 2-2 at AZ Alkmaar's ground to advance with an aggregate score of 5-2.

Strasbourg Stages an Impressive Comeback

After conceding two goals in the first leg, Strasbourg created a shock by crushing Mainz 4-0 at home in the second leg, thereby securing a 4-2 overall victory.

Goals from Sebastian Nanasi and Abdoul Ouattara erased Mainz's advantage within the first 35 minutes. Although captain Emmanuel Emegha missed a penalty in the 66th minute, Julio Enciso promptly responded with a close-range finish just three minutes later. Emegha himself sealed the resounding victory at Stade de la Meinau in the 74th minute.

Strasbourg's semifinal opponent, Rayo Vallecano, had a nerve-wracking night. The Spanish team lost 1-3 to AEK Athens in the second leg, but Isi Palazon's precious goal in the 60th minute was enough for them to advance with a narrow aggregate score of 4-3. Earlier, Zini's brace and Razvan Marin's penalty for AEK nearly pushed the match into extra time.

The semifinal first-leg matches will take place on April 30th, with Rayo Vallecano and Shakhtar Donetsk hosting.

C3 Cup Football Results

AEK Athens 3-1 Rayo Vallecano

Fiorentina 2-1 Crystal Palace

Strasbourg 4-0 Mainz

AZ Alkmaar 2-2 Shakhtar Donetsk