HSK Zrinjski 1-1 Crystal Palace result – Oliver Glasner’s Eagles suffer UEFA Conference League setback with disappointing play-off first leg draw

Crystal Palace put in a lacklustre showing in Mostar, drawing 1-1 away at UEFA Conference League minnows Zrinjski and giving their Bosnian opponents hope of an upset in the second leg of their knockout play-off tie.

At a diminutive single-stand stadium two hours outside of Sarajevo, Palace struggled to inject life into their performance during a disjointed first-half that saw Ismaïla Sarr have a close-range finish ruled out for an offside in the build-up and Antonio Ivancic miss a golden chance to put the home side ahead.

Palace did take a lead into half-time thanks to a rare piece of Premier League quality on the night, as Sarr picked out the bottom corner with a clinical finish from the edge of the box shortly before the break. But any hopes that the lead would spark a better second-half showing from Palace were short-lived, with Zrinjski enjoying the better of the chances after the interval.

There were jubilant scenes from the hosts when they equalised on 55 minutes through Karlo Abramovic, who arrowed a shot into the far bottom corner to punish Palace for giving the ball away.

And the home side continued to threaten on the counter for the rest of the game, coming closest when VAR called the referee to the sideline for a possible handball against Daniel Muñoz in-front of his own goal, only for the on-field official to spot a foul seconds before the handball and opt against giving a penalty to Zrinjski.

Palace huffed and puffed, almost rescuing a win from their trip to the Balkans when an Adam Wharton effort from distance cannoned off the crossbar, but it wasn’t to be, with Zrinjski holding on for a richly-deserved draw, much to the delight of the home fans at the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium.

Glasner will hope that his side will put in an improved showing in next week’s second leg at Selhurst Park, but they have work to do against an opposition from Bosnian and Herzegovina who aren’t out of this tie by any means.

Still not out of the woods at the wrong end of the Premier League, and now facing the prospect of elimination from the Conference League before the Round of 16, Palace’s season is in danger of being a real disappointment. There were flashes of quality from them tonight, with some dangerous touches from Strand Larsen and moments of class from Wharton (who also gave the ball away too frequently), but it’s not quite clicking for Palace right now.

Here's what Oliver Glasner had to say to UEFA reporters after the game:

"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.

"I expect a similar game in the second leg with a deep block and transitions."

Stream the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Serie A and Men's and Women's FA Cup and more on TNT Sports and discovery+.

That includes Celtic's game against Stuttgart in the Europa League, which kicks off in just five minutes' time.

Crystal Palace would have felt like they had a platform to go on and dominate this first leg when Ismaïla Sarr opened the scoring shortly before half-time.

But a spirited Zrinjski side showed threat throughout, and equalised in the second half to earn themselves a deserved draw.

Mainz 05 or AEK Larnaca await the winner of this tie in the Round of 16, but Palace have work to do after a testing evening in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Oliver Glasner’s side are one of the strongest squads in the Conference League, but they’ve not stamped their authority on the competition in what is the club’s first-ever European campaign.

Here's the reaction from Dean Henderson to tonight's draw:

"It’s frustrating because we worked hard, scored first and then got caught on the break. They capitalised on our mistake, which is disappointing.

"You can expect a fully motivated Crystal Palace in the second leg."

"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.

"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 AEK Larnaca game was the one which opened our eyes to it. We've got to play at our best tempo, and make sure we give it our best shot."

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner marches on to the pitch and has some stern words for his Palace players, who have failed to take control of this tie. Zrinjski Mostar defended resolutely and had threat on the break – in fact, they probably had the pick of the chances overall. Glasner will be very frustrated by that and it’ll be interesting to hear what he made of his team’s performance.

The final whistle goes as Palace are held to a 1-1 draw, meaning that this tie remains very much alive heading into next Thursday’s second leg at Selhurst Park, which you can watch on TNT Sports and discovery+.

The visitors are pushing numbers forward, looking to carve out one more opportunity, but Zrinjski Mostar are defending deep, looking to run down the clock, and are moments away from a big result.

We are into the five additional minutes at the end of this game. It maybe could have been longer given the length of that VAR stoppage.

Mitchell is left one-on-one at the back as a long punt forward threatens to put Sakota in behind, but the defender does brilliantly to slow up the attack and allow his teammates to get back.

The influential Ivancic, who should have scored in the first half and had been walking a bit of a tightrope on a booking, is replaced late on.

The travelling Palace fans are left frustrated as the delivery from a free-kick in a dangerous area fails to trouble the home defence. It’s been a lacklustre showing from Palace tonight.

"Munoz is trying to protect himself," Lucy Ward says. "His arm is in the air. He's tried to protect his head, but in Europe you always risk a decision being given. There's a touch with his left arm. He had his head down and his arm up. It's certainly not deliberate but when your arm is up, it gives the VAR and the referee the chance to give a penalty.

"It would've been harsh. That would have been an absolute disaster for Palace. They can breathe a massive sigh of relief at this stage of the game. The referee has looked at it very carefully, he's seen the lead-up. He probably thinks it's handball, but he sees the foul first."

Finally, after a very long stoppage, the referee is called to the screen. The ball looped off Henderson and, with Memija in the vicinity, the loose ball struck the hand of a ducking Munoz. It’s a nervy moment for Palace, but the referee decides it’s not a penalty, and in fact gives a free-kick the other way for a high boot. You don’t see referees override the VAR officials very often, but he was probably right to do so on this occasion.

There’s been a whole new phase of play since that Zrinjski attack, but VAR has been looking at a potential handball throughout, and finally play comes to a halt as the video officials try and decide what happened there. They are looking at a potential handball…

The two substitutes almost combine to put Zrinjski ahead as Sakota drives towards the corner of the box and gets a low shot away, with Memija in the vicinity as the ball loops up off Henderson, with Palace hacking it away.

The home side introduce some fresh legs as they hunt for what would be a famous victory. On come Memija and Sakota.

Wharton floats a corner to the far side of the area, where Richards is left completely unmarked. It’s a terrific opportunity, but given the nature of the delivery he has to try and generate power on his header, and in doing so he snatches at the chance, making terrible contact as the ball skews off target. His reaction shows how big a chance that was.

"He's completely free," exclaims Lucy Ward on commentary. "He times his run, but maybe the swirling wind affected the flight of the ball. He didn't have any defenders around him. It's a chance for Richards. He can't believe it." 

Strand Larsen lays the ball off for Wharton to have a ping from outside the box, and he connects with it beautifully, sending a rasping effort crashing off the crossbar.

Dujmovic holds a Palace move and his booked for his trouble. It’s been a relatively even-tempered evening so far in Mostar.