UECL: Crystal Palace Win First Home European Match with 3-1 Victoryb

Palace edge AZ Alkmaar with Sarr's impressive brace

Crystal Palace secured their maiden home win in the UEFA Conference League main draw, thanks to Ismaila Sarr's impressive brace in a 3-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar.

Sarr's impressive performance continued, and he sealed his brace with a goal on the stroke of half-time...

Ismaila Sarr led Crystal Palace to their first home win in the UEFA Conference League main draw with a brace, securing a comfortable 3-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar. Sarr's impressive performance helped Palace bounce back from a surprise loss to AEK Larnaca last month.

Crystal Palace started the match with determination, eager to make amends for their previous disappointing result. The team's strong performance was evident from the start, with Sarr scoring two goals and Maxence Lacroix adding another to secure the win.

Bamba Sarr was the star of the show early on, hitting the post and winning a penalty after being fouled by Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro. AZ's goalkeeper made a crucial save, diving low to deny Jean-Philippe Mateta's spot kick.

Owusu-Oduro's heroics were short-lived, as he struggled to keep out Sarr's headed effort and then watched in horror as Will Hughes's dipping volley hit the crossbar. The home side were on the back foot, and things only got more intense from there.

The goalkeeper's resistance was finally broken in the 22nd minute, with Maxence Lacroix scoring from Marc Guehi's knockdown. The goal was thoroughly checked by VAR, with a lengthy review confirming no offside in the build-up.

Sarr's impressive performance continued, and he sealed his brace with a goal on the stroke of half-time, which was also scrutinized by VAR to confirm its validity. The goal was a fitting reward for Sarr's outstanding display, and Palace went into the break feeling confident.

The Palace attacker prodded in from close range after Jefferson Lerma and Lacroix combined with headers to steer the ball into the danger zone. 

Job done.
+3 ✅ pic.twitter.com/T7pudcDpWe

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) November 6, 2025

To AZ’s credit, they showed great character to halve the deficit within 15 minutes of the restart, as Sven Mijnans saw his deflected effort bounce over Dean Henderson after the Eagles failed to clear their lines from a low cross.

AZ Alkmaar's hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed as Ismaila Sarr scored his second goal of the evening, sealing Crystal Palace's 3-1 win. Sarr's impressive performance included a brace, making it two goals in three matches for the Senegalese striker.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner praised Sarr's performance, highlighting his pace and ability to create space for his teammates. The win moved Palace up to ninth spot, while AZ dropped to 27th place