Captain Dean Henderson hailed Crystal Palace’s “sensational” achievement after they booked a place in the semi-finals of the Conference League with a 4-2 aggregate win over Fiorentina.
The Premier League side travelled to Tuscany with a 3-0 first-leg advantage, but Fiorentina made it interesting, claiming a 2-1 home victory on home soil after Ismaila Sarr had opened the scoring for the Eagles in the 17th minute.
Palace’s final opponent on the road to the Leipzig final is Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, who they will play away on April 30 and at Selhurst Park on May 7.
“This is unbelievable,” said Henderson, speaking to TNT Sports. “Obviously for this football club it’s sensational really, when you think obviously about the FA Cup last year, and then to keep going, to write a new chapter in the book, it’s phenomenal.
“(The fans) have stuck by us in the difficult times this season, and hopefully we can go and deliver something really special.
“It was a tough game. It was very tough. You don’t really know how it will go, 3-0 is a dangerous scoreline, and we’ve managed to get through, so who cares?
“Of course the aim is to go and win it, that’s what the aim is. We have togetherness in this group. So at the business end of the season, we come together and we go (forward).”
Sarr scored his seventh goal of the Eagles’ European campaign and 17th of the season with a powerful header, teed up by Daniel Munoz, before Albert Gudmundsson’s penalty reduced Fiorentina’s deficit back to three.
Cher Ndour gave the hosts the lead on the night eight minutes after the break, but Palace saw out the remainder to soar into a club-first European semi-final.
It was not all positive news for Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who was forced into two first-half changes following injuries to Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix, who collided with Munoz.
Glasner later revealed England midfielder Wharton seemed to have once again sustained an adductor issue, one which the Austrian initially suggested “doesn’t look so serious, but we will have to assess”.
Lacroix “felt something in his knee” but appears to have escaped a serious issue, posting a flexed-bicep photo to his Instagram Stories after the game alongside the caption: “No problem, thank you Lord! Semi-finals here we go!”
Glasner felt his side “showed great resilience” and “deserve to play in the semi-final”, adding on TNT Sports: “It’s a massive achievement for the players, it’s a massive achievement for Crystal Palace, and we are enjoying tonight.
“Of course, when you play in the semi-final you want to get it all at the end, and that’s what we will go for.”
