The new king comes from the land of fog.

Crystal Palace's victory over Rayo Vallecano in the Europa Conference League final has solidified English football's dominance in European football this season. Congratulations to the new champions from England!

Báo Lâm Đồng•27/05/2026

Rayo Vallecano entered the Europa League final determined to win. After pouring all their energy into La Liga, hoping to secure a European spot, Inigo Perez's team ultimately failed to finish in the top seven. Therefore, a victory in Leipzig in the Europa League final was the only way for Rayo Vallecano to return to European competition next season , and if successful, it would only be their second appearance in the Europa League/UEFA Cup since the 2000/01 season . In the European arena, the Spanish representative's path to the final was completely different from Palace's. Los Franjirrojos did not have to go through the difficult Conference League play-offs thanks to their 5th place finish in the group stage, but their victories in the round of 16 and quarter-finals were much harder-fought than those of the team from the UK. In both of those matches, Perez's team won the first leg before losing the second leg but still progressed. In the semi-final against Strasbourg , the Spanish team showed their mettle by winning 1-0 on aggregate, thus reaching the European Cup final for the first time. However, reaching the final was Rayo Vallecano 's best achievement , as the Spanish representative lost to Crystal Palace and had to settle for the runner-up position.

On Crystal Palace's side, in recent months, manager Oliver Glasner's relationship with the club's leadership has been strained, and it's certain that Glasner will part ways with the club at the end of the season. However, the Austrian strategist has still led Palace to their final European title. Now, Glasner is just one match away from winning his third title with the London club in the last 12 months, following the FA Cup and the Community Shield earlier this year. To reach this final, Palace struggled to qualify for the knockout stage, finishing 10th in the group stage. However, in the knockout rounds, Glasner's team improved significantly. This has allowed Palace , along with Arsenal and Aston Villa, to demonstrate the strength of the Premier League in European competition, having participated in all three of Europe's top club competitions. It's worth noting that in 2022, coach Glasner led Eintracht Frankfurt to victory against Rangers in the Europa League final . And now he has a great opportunity to win another European title as Crystal Palace manager in his final match as the "Eagles'" coach: the Europa Conference League trophy this season. And on the morning of May 28th, Glasner's perfect farewell to Palace took place in Germany, as the Austrian coach added another title to his squad after a 1-0 victory against Rayo Vallecano .

After failing to qualify for European competition in their domestic leagues, the only way for Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano to return to European competition is to win the Europa Conference League . Therefore, both teams needed a win to secure a place in next season 's European competition . As a result, both teams entered the match with great determination . Palace had an early chance to open the scoring, and Vallecano also created several dangerous situations, but their strikers failed to capitalize. In the second half, Crystal Palace intensified their attack, and Glasner's team reaped the rewards. In the 51st minute, Adam Wharton's long-range shot forced the Vallecano goalkeeper to parry the ball, and Mateta quickly tapped in the rebound to open the scoring. This goal boosted their morale . Pino nearly scored a spectacular goal, but his free-kick hit both posts instead of going into the net. However, a moment of brilliance from Mateta was enough to secure the Europa Conference League 2025/26 title for the second-highest-ranked team from England .