CRYSTAL PALACE HELD BY AEK LARNACA IN UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE LAST-16 FIRST LEG

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Crystal Palace were held to a 0–0 draw at home by AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League last-16 tie on Thursday night.

Despite creating numerous chances on a wet and windy evening at Selhurst Park, the English side failed to find the breakthrough against their Cypriot opponents.

It was the second time this season Palace have failed to score against Larnaca, having earlier lost 1–0 in the league phase of the competition.

French striker Jean‑Philippe Mateta made his first appearance for Palace since January 25, coming on as a late substitute after a proposed move to AC Milan collapsed due to concerns over a knee injury.

Manager Oliver Glasner will now take his side to Cyprus next week for the second leg as they attempt to keep alive their first full campaign in European competition.

If Palace advance, they could face Italian side ACF Fiorentina in the quarter-finals. Fiorentina edged past Raków Częstochowa 2–1 in Florence, scoring a stoppage-time penalty to secure the advantage.

Elsewhere, RC Strasbourg maintained their unbeaten run in Europe this season with a 2–1 away victory over Croatian club HNK Rijeka.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Troy Parrott scored twice to lead AZ Alkmaar to a 2–1 win against Sparta Prague.

Spain’s Rayo Vallecano also impressed with a 3–1 away victory over Turkish side Samsunspor.

In other matches, AEK Athens thrashed NK Celje 4–0 in Slovenia to move close to the quarter-finals, while Shakhtar Donetsk secured a 3–1 win away to Lech Poznań.

Meanwhile, Bundesliga side were held to a 0–0 draw by Czech club Sigma Olomouc in another first-leg encounter.