Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 to win the Conference League.

On the morning of May 28th, Crystal Palace defeated Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the Conference League final thanks to a goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Crystal Palace won the Conference League after a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the final held on the morning of May 28th at the Red Bull Arena (Leipzig, Germany). Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal early in the second half, bringing England their second European trophy (after Aston Villa won the Europa League).

Crystal Palace didn't have more possession, but they made the difference in the quality of their chances. Rayo Vallecano held possession for 58% of the match, significantly more than their opponents. However, Crystal Palace had more clear-cut chances, with an expected goals metric of 2.57, far exceeding Rayo's 0.53. The English team also had 4 dangerous opportunities, while Rayo only had 1.

The moment Mateta scored the winning goal for Crystal Palace, securing a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano. (Photo: Reuters)

The first half was a tight affair. Rayo Vallecano controlled possession, but their attacks lacked the sharpness to penetrate Crystal Palace's defense. Conversely, Crystal Palace didn't attack relentlessly but had more direct attacking moves. They created four shots in the first half, at times threatening goalkeeper Augusto Batalla's goal, but failed to score.

The turning point came early in the second half. In the 51st minute, Adam Wharton unleashed a dangerous shot from the edge of the penalty area, forcing goalkeeper Batalla to make a difficult save. The ball rebounded right to Jean-Philippe Mateta, and the Crystal Palace striker finished from close range to open the scoring.

Crystal Palace won the Conference League. (Photo: Reuters)

The goal gave Crystal Palace the upper hand. They didn't need to keep possession much but still created better chances in the second half. The English team only had 39% possession after the break, but had 3 shots on target and 3 dangerous chances. Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano had 61% possession but most of their shots lacked accuracy.

Rayo Vallecano launched a full-scale attack towards the end of the match. The Spanish team had several opportunities to equalize, notably those from Florian Lejeune and Alemao, but failed to capitalize on them. Crystal Palace defended their slender lead and sealed the final with a 1-0 victory.

Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0, securing the Conference League title.

Xiao Ming

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/thang-rayo-vallecano-1-0-crystal-palace-vo-dich-conference-league-ar1020392.html