It was the tournament they never wanted to be in, but Crystal Palace were celebrating it after beating Rayo Vallecano and lifting the Europe's Conference League trophy in one of the greatest days of their history and a perfect farewell to Austrian coach Oliver Glasner.
The south London outfit had been due to play in the more prestigious Europa League - but dropped to the continent's third-tier club tournament due to multi-club ownership rules. Now their 1-0 win against the Spanish LaLiga team in Leipzig, thanks to a goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta, puts them back in the coveted Europa League for next season.
"Now Crystal Palace is there where they should be," said Glasner, after his final match at the helm.
"The Europa League is one year delayed ... but the club, the fans, the players get what they deserve." Palace fans wept, danced and sang in the Red Bull Arena, with thousands more partying on the streets of Leipzig and others at Selhurst Park in south London watching on a screen.
"I feel fantastic," said goalscorer Mateta, shouting and jumping for joy on the pitch. "We did it. First time in Europe and we did it and now I want to celebrate and party."
Palace's first European triumph - in their first European campaign - added to two domestic triumphs, the FA Cup and the Community Shield, won last year during Glasner's remarkable tenure since taking charge in February 2024. Palace academy graduate, Tyrick Mitchell, said: "It's something that you dream of, but you don't think is reality.”
He went on: "I'm just proud of everyone, past and present, that helped us get to this point."
Midfielder Adam Wharton, who missed the FA Cup celebrations due to a head injury, said he was looking forward to making up for it by partying the night away after the Conference League final - albeit with a slight delay for a routine doping test.
"You can just see what it means to south London. After missing the FA Cup last year I've got two celebrations to catch up on."
Palace chairman Steve Parish said: "When I bought the club I wasn't sure we'd ever play in Europe, let alone win a trophy.
“It's a dream come true. And it’s great to get into the Europa League where we deserve to be. It just shows that sometimes the good guys win in the end."
