Crystal Palace on Thursday night secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Fiorentina in the first leg of the Europa Conference League, with Jean Mateta on target, news.ng reports.
Palace took the lead in the 24th minute after being awarded a penalty, and it was Mateta who rose to the occasion, finding the back of the net to give his side the lead.
That lead was doubled seven minutes later by Tyrick Mitchell before Ismaïla Sarr cemented the victory in the 90th minute.
Speaking after the match, Mateta said he had dreamt about scoring the goal and expressed delight at making it happen.
Mateta to TNT Sports: “What a night. I dreamed about scoring that goal for nights. I did, and I am so happy.”
On whether he has a message to the fans: “They know me, I keep working hard. They know I am always here, and hopefully we can finish the job in Italy.”
Palace will travel to Fiorentina next Thursday for the reverse fixture.
Other matches played included Mainz 05 beating Strasbourg 2-0, Shakhtar Donetsk defeating AZ Alkmaar 3-0, and Rayo Vallecano beating AEK Athens 3-0.
