Report & Highlights: Palace edge past Millwall as pre-season gets underway
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Rak-Sakyi 50'
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Crystal Palace made a winning start to their pre-season campaign with a 1-0 victory over South London rivals Millwall.
SUMMARY:
- Glasner names different XIs for each half at the Crystal Palace Academy
- 6: Millwall go close but Langstaff fires over.
- 8: Benítez reacts sharply to keep out De Norre’s effort.
- HT: Palace 0-0 Millwall
- 50 – GOAL: Rak-Sakyi gets the first goal of pre-season with a tidy finish from close range.
- 59: King goes close, flashing a header just wide.
- 62: Adaramola misses huge chance, one-on-one, skewing his effort wide and high of the goal.
- 90 + 3: Édouard fires a free-kick just over the crossbar.
- FT: Palace 1-0 Millwall
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi got the only goal not long after the break at the Crystal Palace Academy, with the fixture played behind closed doors, as the FA Cup holders also debuted the new 2025/26 home kit for the first time.
Oliver Glasner named two sides for each half against the Championship side, minus the players who have late returns following their international commitments over the summer.
Summer signings Walter Benítez and Borna Sosa both started, to get their first taste of Palace action.
In truth – in the presence of blazing sunshine – the first-half played out as a non-competitive game often does, with Palace tidy in-possession overall, but few real chances of note for either side.
Millwall had the best opening in the early stages when Macaulay Langstaff capitalised on a rare error from Tyrick Mitchell.
The forward was well placed after cutting inside, but fired an effort over the crossbar of debutant Benítez.
The Argentine goalkeeper did have to make a smart stop only a few minutes later, De Norre with a testing strike following a short corner, but in general had little to do in the first 45 minutes of his Palace career.
With both sides producing entirely new XIs for the second-half, it was Millwall who had the first chance.
Barely a minute after the break, Wes Harding found himself free at the back post, but failed to test Remi Matthews from close range.
But Palace would make the breakthrough not long after, Rak-Sakyi converting from close range and after he was smartly fed by Odsonne Édouard, rounding off a clinical counter-attack.
The Eagles did have their chances to extend the narrow lead. First young defender George King couldn’t quite get clean contact on a header from a dangerous corner.
Tayo Adaramola then should have scored after some great work to win the ball high up the pitch.
Baring down on goal, albeit from a tight angle, Adaramola skewed his effort off-target when he had looked a certain scorer.
The tempo, perhaps understandably, dropped off in the closing stages, with the temperature continuing to rise.
The full-time whistle brought to an end a positive first pre-season outing for the Eagles, who next face Crawley Town on Friday, 25th July (19:30 BST)
Palace first-half XI: Benítez (GK), Clyne, Lacroix, Guéhi, Mitchell, Sosa, Wharton, Hughes, Esse, França, Mateta.
Palace second-half XI: Matthews (GK), King, Ozoh, Jemide, Kporha, Adaramola, Rodney, Ahamada, Rak-Sakyi, Mustpaha, Édouard.
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