Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Thursday, 30 April 2026, 22:39 / Updated on Thursday, 30 April 2026 22:39
Lightning debut in Shakhtar – Crystal PalaceConference League semifinal. Ismaila Sarr (28) opened the scoring after just 21 seconds of play for Palace. His feat became the fastest in the history of the competition established in 2021.
In the first dangerous action in the box of the hosts, Palace struck in Krakow under the eyes of the billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, the owner of the club in Ukraine.
PHOTO. How to score a goal in just 21 seconds in a Conference League semi-final
Maxence Lacroix sent in a long ball before Palace's attacking trident of Sarr, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Yeremy Pino combined superbly.
Mateta took the ball on his chest and sent a filtering pass for Sarr's marker. He shot from the first, sending the ball into the bottom corner of goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.
Before tonight's game, Sarr already held the record for most goals scored by a player in the final stages of the Conference League with seven.
These included four goals scored in Palace's last three knockout games as the side edged past AEK Larnaca and Fiorentina to reach the top-flight.
His feat shattered the competition's previous record held by Ferdy Druijf, who had scored after 32 seconds for Rapid Vienna against Vitesse in 2022.
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Rayo Vallecano and Strasbourg face each other in the other semi-final.
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The return takes place on May 7, in England.
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Ismaila Sarr has played 23 games this season for Palace, scoring 7 goals and providing an assist. He is quoted by the specialized website Transfermarkt at 35 million euros.
