Jean-Philippe Mateta inspired Crystal Palace to a commanding 3-0 win over Fiorentina in their Conference League quarterfinal first leg on Thursday.

Making his first start since a proposed January move to AC Milan fell through, Mateta opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Evann Guessand was fouled by Dodo.

Mateta was again involved in Palace’s second seven minutes later, his close-range effort forcing a save from David de Gea before Tyrick Mitchell converted the rebound.

“I keep working hard, and I’m always here to push for the victory,” Mateta told TNT Sports. “Today we did it, but it’s not finished. We have one more game in Italy.”

Fiorentina responded after the break, with Giovanni Fabbian striking the woodwork and Dean Henderson producing two sharp saves to preserve Palace’s lead.

Ismaila Sarr sealed the result in stoppage time, heading in to give Palace a healthy advantage heading into the return leg in Tuscany.

Elsewhere, Shakhtar Donetsk defeated AZ Alkmaar 3-0, with late goals from Pedrinho and a brace from Alisson Santana.

Rayo Vallecano moved closer to a historic semifinal with a 3-0 win over AEK Athens, while Mainz beat Strasbourg 2-0 to maintain its perfect home record in the competition.

Published on Apr 10, 2026