Oliver Glasner urges caution as Ismaila Sarr fires Crystal Palace past AZ Alkmaar

By SABC Sport
7th November 2025

Oliver Glasner has praised Crystal Palace's fighting spirit but admitted his side "still have plenty to improve" despite a commanding 3-1 home victory over AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Conference League.

Palace delivered their first-ever home win in the main draw of a European competition, with Ismaila Sarr striking twice and Maxence Lacroix adding another to make it two wins from three in the league phase. But Glasner, while satisfied with the result, was far from impressed with his team's early showing.

"I think the first 10 or 15 minutes, we did not do well," Glasner said. "We looked surprised by AZ's intensity and how quickly they played. Then we started to control the game, especially with our physicality. That reaction after missing the penalty was very good, it was a deserved lead at half-time."

The Austrian coach also highlighted tactical adjustments at the break, admitting he "did not like the movements" of his front three as Palace struggled to press effectively. "All three players were doing the same thing, either all running in behind or all coming short. It was too easy for them to defend," he added.

Sarr, who has been in superb form since joining in the summer, continued his fine run with a brace, his second in three matches, but was withdrawn after 65 minutes as a precaution ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with Brighton.

"He mentioned a small tightness in his hamstring," Glasner explained. "We have to manage his minutes, especially with Senegal playing here in London next week."

Glasner also confirmed that defender Chadi Riad, recently back from a long-term knee injury, was left out after a setback in training.

Palace's victory followed a shock loss to AEK Larnaca last month and extended their winning run in all competitions to three matches, lifting them to ninth in the Premier League and keeping their European campaign firmly on track.

For AZ, Sven Mijnans briefly gave them hope with a deflected strike early in the second half, but Palace's power and pace ultimately proved too much as Glasner's men look to carry their momentum into the weekend's derby.