Sports

Crystal Palace defeat Rayo Vallecano to win first European trophy

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2 months ago

May 28, 2026

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Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal as Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the UEFA Conference League final in Leipzig on Wednesday to secure the club’s first European trophy in their history.

After a cagey opening half with few clear chances, Mateta turned in a rebound for the game’s only goal on 51 minutes, sending departing coach Oliver Glasner off in style.

Glasner departs with a third trophy in two years as Palace manager, the most successful period in the club’s history, after dashing Rayo’s hopes of landing their first major silverware.

The victory also completed Glasner’s objective of returning Palace to the Europa League, the competition they qualified to play in this season before falling foul of multi-club ownership rules and being demoted to the Conference League.

The Austrian, already a Europa League champion with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, once again showed his excellence in knockout competitions.

Palace overcame the sales of star players Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi this season, and the fallout from the latter’s January move to Manchester City, to cap their first full venture into European competition with a title.

France striker Mateta, the hero on the night, was a failed medical away from leaving Palace for AC Milan this winter.

Mateta said: “I feel fantastic. First time in Europe, we did it! Now I just want to celebrate, I just want to party.

“I’m tired, man. I gave everything. The team gave everything and that’s why we won today.”

Palace became third London side in as many years to win the competition, after West Ham in 2024 and Chelsea in 2025, demonstrating the Premier League’s unmatched financial muscle.

With Aston Villa already Europa League winners, Premier League champions Arsenal can complete a clean sweep in European competition by beating Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Sports

Transfer: Arteta Seriously Chasing Two EPL Defenders After Saliba’s Injury Debacle

Published

30 minutes ago

July 23, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, is keen on signing John Stones or Ezri Konsa, following news that William Saliba will be out for an extended period.

Saliba has opted not to have surgery after injuring his back while playing for France at the 2026 World Cup.

But the 25-year-old defender is facing a lengthy period of rehabilitation.

Stones is available as a free agent, after he left Manchester City at the end of his contract.

The 32-year-old worked with Arteta during his time as assistant to Pep Guardiola at City.

Konsa, who represented England alongside Stones at the World Cup, has two years left on his contract at Aston Villa.

Both players can also operate at right-back.

Sports

Joshua sets targets for Fury ahead of return

Published

12 hours ago

July 23, 2026

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British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua has begun preparing for a fight with Tyson Fury by training with a specially made heavy bag replica of the Gypsy King, ahead of both men’s tune-up bouts this weekend.

Joshua and Fury have signed contracts to finally settle a decade’s worth of debate over a domestic showdown, but must first come through separate warm-up assignments, with Joshua facing Kristian Prenga on Saturday in Jeddah and Fury taking on 46-year-old veteran Mariusz Wach in Thailand.

Joshua’s first-ever boxing coach, Sean Murphy, unveiled the bespoke bag and told DAZN it had been designed specifically to resemble Fury, describing it as reproducing the Gypsy King’s chin for practice purposes.

Murphy said Joshua had provided all the bags currently hanging in the gym and had personally funded other refurbishments at the facility, including new ring covers and an overhaul of the female changing room.

Joshua, aged 36, has vowed never to overlook an opponent again after being stunned by Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 while he had one eye on a prospective fight with Deontay Wilder, though with his Fury deal now signed, he is being careful not to look past Prenga.

The Saturday bout will be Joshua’s first contest since a car accident claimed the lives of two of his close friends, and comes ten days after he stopped Jake Paul in a heavily anticipated crossover fight.

Joshua is expected to dedicate victory over Prenga to his late friends as he continues plotting a route towards the long-awaited Battle of Britain with Fury, aged 37.