Crystal Palace were held to a goalless draw at home by AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League last-16 clash on Thursday.
Despite dominating large spells of the match at Selhurst Park, Palace were unable to convert their chances on a rain-soaked and windy evening, leaving the tie finely balanced heading into the return leg.
The English side created numerous scoring opportunities throughout the match but once again failed to find the net against the Cypriot club, who had earlier beaten them 1-0 during the league phase of the competition.
French forward Jean‑Philippe Mateta made his first appearance for Palace since January 25 after coming on late in the game. His return followed the collapse of a proposed transfer to AC Milan due to concerns surrounding a knee injury.
The team coached by Oliver Glasner will now travel to Cyprus next week for the decisive second leg as they attempt to keep alive their first full campaign in European competition.
If Palace progress to the quarter-finals, they could potentially face two-time finalists ACF Fiorentina. The Italian side secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Raków Częstochowa in Florence after scoring a stoppage-time penalty.
Elsewhere, RC Strasbourg Alsace, who finished top during the league phase, preserved their unbeaten European run this season with a 2-1 away win over Croatian club HNK Rijeka.
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Troy Parrott scored both goals for AZ Alkmaar in a 2-1 victory against AC Sparta Prague.
In another fixture, Spanish side Rayo Vallecano recorded a 3-1 away win against Turkish outfit Samsunspor.
AEK Athens moved closer to the quarter-finals with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Slovenian team NK Celje.
Meanwhile, Shakhtar Donetsk secured a 3-1 away win against Polish side Lech Poznań.
German Bundesliga club FSV Mainz 05 were held to a 0-0 draw by Czech team Sigma Olomouc in another evenly contested match.
What you should know
Crystal Palace are participating in a full European campaign for the first time in their history, making their involvement in the UEFA Europa Conference League a significant milestone for the club.
Under the management of Oliver Glasner, the London side are seeking to make a deep run in the tournament.
Advancing beyond the last-16 would mark one of the most important achievements in the club’s modern era and further raise its profile on the European stage.
