Oliver Glasner fully focused on Everton despite European victory

Oliver Glasner is uninterested in revelling in Crystal Palace’s club record 19-match unbeaten streak as he insisted his focus has already switched to this weekend’s visit to Everton.

Palace’s long sequence of games without a loss was extended after they started their Conference League group stage campaign in convincing fashion, overcoming Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kiev 2-0 in Poland.

Daniel Munoz scored Palace’s first-ever away goal in Europe just after the half-hour mark and second-half substitute Eddie Nketiah also struck, both from Yeremy Pino left-wing crosses, in the 58th minute.

But Glasner was in no mood to pop any champagne corks at breaking a record stretching all the way back to 1969, when Palace had an 18-match undefeated run en route to promotion to the old First Division.

“I’m proud that we could start the Conference League away against a very good opponent (but) I don’t think about this (unbeaten) run, because it has already happened,” Glasner told a press conference.

“It is not difficult to prepare the team because they are so hungry to succeed and so ambitious. We want to keep them pushing and it is really easy to keep the focus high.

“We always want to win the next game and I just told the players ‘congratulations for this good start’. We have huge respect for Dynamo Kyiv, so playing away, starting with a win is very positive.

“But now we have to switch the focus and it started now. We start here to be ready for Everton on Sunday. Every single competition is the same, it is as important as the other one.”

Palace comfortably held on in Kiev’s temporary home of the Motor Lublin Arena, used because of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, despite Borna Sosa seeing red after two yellow cards in three minutes.

But Dynamo, whose players emerged before kick-off draped with Ukrainian flags over their shoulders, could not fashion any clear-cut chances in the final quarter of an hour with Palace down to 10 men.

“We controlled the game or most of the time – just after the red card, the pressure was a little bit more – but overall I think we deserved the win,” Glasner said.

“It looks like teams (in Europe) react more to the way we are playing, so in the Premier League every team plays its style, their system, once or twice it happens that the opposition changes their system.

“Now we’ve two opponents with Fredrikstad and Kyiv, and both teams started in a different system than we expected. Maybe this is a little bit different and we will see if this continues.”

Jean-Philippe Mateta had earlier received his maiden call-up for France although he was unable to get on the scoresheet and was replaced at half-time by Nketiah, who was much more of a threat up front.

“It’s fully deserved,” Glasner added. “We got the information just before we left for the stadium. I’m really delighted for him.

“Now is no time to celebrate, now is the time to stay focused. But of course it’s more the feeling, the satisfaction, that he worked so hard – I know he wanted this.”