Jean-Philippe Mattita became the hero for Crystal Palace as the English club won their first European trophy with a 1-0 win over Rio Vallecano in the Conference League final on Wednesday. The victory also gave outgoing manager Oliver Glasner a fitting farewell before he leaves the club at the end of the season.The match remained tense and goalless for most of the first half, with neither side managing a shot on target. Palace finally broke through in the 51st minute when Adam Wharton’s long-range effort was pushed away by Rio goalkeeper Augusto Batala. Mateta reacted quickly and scored from the rebound to give Palace the lead.The victory capped off a memorable era for Palace under Gleisner, who took charge in February 2024. After guiding the club to its first major trophy last season via the FA Cup, the Austrian coach now leaves with the European title as well.Palace fans marked the occasion with a large “Europa League: Boarding” banner before kick-off, as the win also secured the club a place in next season’s Europa League. Glassner admitted that he now plans to follow the team’s journey from home next year.The results put English clubs on course for a clean sweep of Europe’s top competitions this season as Aston Villa won the Europa League and Arsenal reached the Champions League final.For Rayo Vallecano, it was a heartbreaking end to their first major European final. Some supporters were left in tears after the final whistle as their team narrowly fell to Palace.Rayo had a few chances, including Alemão’s early volley, while Palace almost doubled the lead when Jeremy Pino’s free-kick hit both posts without going in. Despite their efforts, the Spanish side couldn’t find an equalizer as Palace made history.
