Shakhtar Donetsk vs Palace: everything we know so far

Crystal Palace earned a 3-1 advantage to take back to south London in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar Donetsk vs Palace has emerged this Friday as one of the stories drawing attention in Australia.

Key facts

• Crystal Palace earned a 3-1 advantage to take back to south London in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk.
• Crystal Palace took a giant step towards the UEFA Conference League final in their first season of European football with a 3-1 semi-final, first leg win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday.
• Kraków (Poland) (AFP) – Crystal Palace took a giant step towards the UEFA Conference League final in their first season of European football with a 3-1 semi-final, first leg win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday.
• Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Shakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace in the UEFA Conference League.
• Crystal Palace win at Shakhtar Donetsk in Conference League semi-final first leg.

What we know

Going deeper, Crystal Palace took a giant step towards the UEFA Conference League final in their first season of European football with a 3-1 semi-final, first leg win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday.

On the substance, Kraków (Poland) (AFP) – Crystal Palace took a giant step towards the UEFA Conference League final in their first season of European football with a 3-1 semi-final, first leg win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday.

Beyond the headlines, Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Shakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace in the UEFA Conference League.

More precisely, Crystal Palace win at Shakhtar Donetsk in Conference League semi-final first leg.

It is worth noting that xG values are normally the giveaway in the stats stakes: Shakhtar 1.06-2.31 Palace.

By the numbers

At this stage, the previous mark was 32 seconds, set by Ferdy Druijf for SK Rapid.• Sarr has scored in Palace's last four Conference League matches. • Crystal Palace have lost only three of their 15 UEFA matches this season (W8 D4).• This was only Shakhtar's third loss of the season in UEFA competition.

On a related note, Palace, in pursuit of a second major trophy under Oliver Glasner, raced into the lead in the first 21 seconds when Ismaila Sarr combined neatly with Jean-Philippe Mateta to sweep into the far corner - making Sarr the joint top scorer in the competition and owner of the record-fastest goal.

Going deeper, a professional Palace display to nail the away leg, one that surely has them overwhelming favourites to reach the final in Leipzig on May 27.

On the substance, before next Thursday's return leg at Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace go to European-chasing Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday, live on Sky Sports; kick-off at 2pm.

The wider context

On a related note, Ismaïla Sarr scored the fastest goal in UEFA Conference League history before Jørgen Strand Larsen and Daichi Kamada sealed a Crystal Palace win in the second half.

Going deeper, Crystal Palace earned a confident win in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League semi-final tie against Shakhtar, Jørgen Strand Larsen's late finish sealing a two-goal advantage for the second leg.

On the substance, Crystal Palace stunned Shakhtar in the opening seconds and, despite some difficulties later on, they leave Krakow with an impressive victory.

Beyond the headlines, Ismaïla Sarr, Crystal Palace forward, speaking to UEFA: "We’d been alerted beforehand not to give Shakhtar any space, as they're a dangerous team when they have the ball.

More precisely, Follow all the latest UEFA Conference League 2025/2026 news from the official UEFA.com site.

The bottom line

• The previous mark was 32 seconds, set by Ferdy Druijf for SK Rapid.• Sarr has scored in Palace's last four Conference League matches. • Crystal Palace have lost only three of their 15 UEFA matches this season (W8 D4).• This was only Shakhtar's third loss of the season in UEFA competition.
• A professional Palace display to nail the away leg, one that surely has them overwhelming favourites to reach the final in Leipzig on May 27.
• Before next Thursday's return leg at Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace go to European-chasing Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday, live on Sky Sports; kick-off at 2pm.
• Searches spiking right now: C Palace vs. Shakhtar (8 May, 2026) Live Score, Live Commentary - Shak Donetsk vs C Palace | 30.04.2026, Palace beat Shakhtar to close on final, Crystal Palace Stun Shakhtar Donetsk With Record Fast Goal.