Ismaila Sarr scored twice as Crystal Palace lastly broke the cussed resistance of AEK Larnaca to safe a spot within the Conference League quarter-finals.
Sarr scored within the first half just for the Cypriot aspect to hit again by Enric Saborit’s header. Saborit was despatched off with 17 minutes to go however AEK’s 10 males held agency to take the tie to extra-time however they might not maintain out with Sarr finally having the ultimate say.
Oliver Glaser’s males will face Fiorentina within the final eight.
Palace began nicely, zipping the ball round with confidence. Sarr was a continuing menace for the AEK backline and he had the primary probability of the evening, firing into the sidenetting when nicely positioned.
The Senegal worldwide was not as wasteful six minutes later. Adam Wharton’s by ball from midfield benefitted from a slight contact of an AEK defender and fell properly for Sarr. He nonetheless had a lot to do however did it superbly, skipping spherical goalkeeper Zlatan Alomerovic and sliding the ball into the empty web from the sting of the realm.
Sarr was on the coronary heart of every thing Palace have been producing going ahead and, after seeing one other effort dominated out for offside, he then turned supplier with a cross that defender Chris Richards simply didn’t convert on the far publish.
AEK stage however Saborit turns from hero to villain
AEK got here out with higher power ranges after the breaks, urgent Palace additional up the sphere. And it was an strategy that reaped its reward as Saborit rose highest to energy Marcus Rohden’s right-wing nook previous Walter Benitez and into the underside right-hand nook shortly after the hour mark.
Having performed their manner again into the tie, the hosts promptly shot themselves within the foot when, having been booked earlier, Saborit dedicated a useless foul on Sarr and was sent-off.
Sarr then shot wildly over when nicely positioned earlier than spooning a cross horribly behind with Jean-Philippe Mateta free on the far publish.
Sarr spurned one other alternative early in extra-time, heading Yeremy Pino’s cross large however his persistence finally paid off after 99 minutes. Wharton performed a brief nook to Daichi Kamada and his low cross was turned in from shut vary.
Jorgen Strand Larsen twice got here near getting his identify on the scoresheet earlier than AEK had one other man sent-off, Petros Ioannou seeing crimson for a problem on Mateta.
The sport ended with extra drama, dwelling goalkeeper Alomerovic coming ahead for a last-gasp free-kick just for the ball to be cleared and Sarr hit the publish with the objective gaping.
