So often when Crystal Palace’s best players of the last few years are mentioned, Ismaila Sarr’s name is inexplicably absent.
Yet the Senegalese star is rapidly establishing himself as a modern-day great after he delivered once again to drag his side through to the Conference League quarter-finals.
Sarr, who only cost £12.5m from Marseille in 2024, put Palace ahead before he struck the winner in extra-time as Oliver Glasner’s side finally overcame a plucky AEK Larnaca 2-1 on aggregate.
Glasner had urged his side to move the ball quicker and be more aggressive after last week’s turgid first leg and it was noticeable how high Brennan Johnson and Tyrick Mitchell were positioned as wing backs from the start.
Palace fans have often bemoaned Glasner’s inflexibility, but that tweak, coupled with Sarr stationing himself as a second striker alongside Jorgen Strand Larsen, showed adaptability.
He even later switched to a 4-4-2 and played Jean-Philippe Mateta alongside the Norwegian for the first time.
Ismaila Sarr scored twice as Crystal Palace beat AEK Larnaca 2-1 to progress to the Conference League quarter-finals
Oliver Glasner’s side finally beat the Cypriot side in their third encounter of the season
Palace began the game well and when Sarr latched onto Adam Wharton’s deflected through ball, he showed good composure to round Zlatan Alomerovic and turn home for his 14th goal of the season – and the Eagles’ first against Larnaca on their third attempt.
For all of Palace’s dominance though, they failed to convert that into a decisive advantage and were punished when Enric Saborit headed home from a corner midway through the second half after poor marking. That was the 15th set-piece goal the Eagles have conceded this season.
Saborit’s evening soon unravelled, however, as he received a second yellow card for hauling down Sarr, yet despite introducing Yeremy Pino and Mateta, the Eagles struggled to find a way through and were wasteful when they did.
Their persistence eventually paid off in extra-time when a well-worked corner was pulled back to Sarr, who finished emphatically to underline his importance once more. He was later denied a hat-trick by both the crossbar and the post.
‘He’s been top,’ Adam Wharton said of Sarr post-match. ‘He’s been doing really well in the Premier League and he’s scoring a lot of goals and getting lots of assists.
‘He’s so quick, and it works wonders having him against these teams who are so compact if you get that bit of space in behind. We’re really happy to have him.’
Petros Ioannou was dismissed for a high challenge in injury time, reducing Larnaca to nine men, and Palace held firm despite some nervy moments – including an overturned penalty for the Cypriot outfit.
This has been far from a smooth European campaign, but Glasner’s side face Fiorentina for a place in the final four of this competition and have a golden opportunity to end the Austrian’s reign with a third trophy in a year.
Oliver GlasnerCrystal Palace
