Crystal Palace could not beat their Bosnian opponents in the first leg of their playoff
Crystal Palace captain Dean Henderson has called for unity after a section of supporters turned on head coach Oliver Glasner following the club’s 1-1 draw with Zrinjski Mostar in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off.
The Eagles have now won just one of their last 15 matches in all competitions, a difficult run which overshadowed the second anniversary of Glasner’s appointment.
Despite enjoying significant success during his time at Selhurst Park – including FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs and a record unbeaten run – frustration among travelling fans was clear in Bosnia as chants of “sacked in the morning” were heard at full-time.
Ismaila Sarr had given Palace the lead two minutes before the break, but they struggled to control the game thereafter and were punished when Karlo Abramovic fired past Henderson to leave the tie evenly poised ahead of the return leg in south London.
Henderson, who recently took over the captaincy following Marc Guehi’s departure, urged calm and insisted the squad still believes it can progress.
He told TNT Sports: “It’s about keeping spirits high. We’ve been in tough moments before and come out the other end. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel, so we’ve got to rally around each other.
“The team spirit is growing. We’ve got some new players in now and some new energy, which is nice. We’ve got to play with more confidence and not let the doom and gloom get on top of us.
“It’s not going to be easy. It’s not just going to be given to us. We can’t just expect to turn up and win three, 4-0. It’s as simple as that. We’ve got to learn from it.”
The match itself could have been even worse for Palace, with Zrinjski briefly believing they had a late penalty after an alleged handball by Daniel Munoz, only for referee Manfredas Lukjancukas to overturn the decision following a VAR review due to a foul earlier in the move.
Glasner admitted disappointment at how his side allowed control to slip.
He said: “I’m a little disappointed because after controlling the game we gave away the momentum too easily through our own mistakes.
“That made it more difficult than it should have been. It is level at half-time in the tie, and we have to raise our level. Zrinjski did not surprise us, they played as we expected, very organised and physical. I expect a similar game in the second leg with a deep block and transitions.”
