PARIS: Crystal Palace slid to a 2-1 loss at Strasbourg in the Uefa Conference League on Thursday as Liam Rosenior's side came from behind to maintain their unbeaten start to the competition.
Tyrick Mitchell steered Palace into the lead and Ismaila Sarr nearly added a second when he struck the inside of the post with Strasbourg goalkeeper Mike Penders well out of his area.
Emanuel Emegha equalised for the French club early in the second half as he tapped in at the back post from Diego Moreira's cross.
Adam Wharton hit the bar for Palace with the goal gaping as Penders was again caught badly out of position when Strasbourg lost the ball on the edge of their own box.
Penders then produced a terrific save to deny Yeremy Pino and Strasbourg went down the other end and scored as teenager Samir El Mourabet swept in the rebound after Julio Enciso's free-kick smacked back off the post.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner said his team paid the price for not taking their chances.
"When you twice have an empty goal in front of you and you miss the goal twice hitting the post, you should be 3-1 up. Then we have the big chance against the keeper and then in the next action we are 2-1 down," Glasner told TNT Sports.
"It has happened too many times this season when we did not decide the game when we could."
Strasbourg moved level on 10 points with Samsunspor at the top after the Turkish side could only manage a 2-2 draw away to Breidablik of Iceland.
Palace are 18th in the league standings with two wins and two losses through four matches in their first full venture into European football.
They are two points off the top eight, which offers direct qualification to the last 16. Palace have games still to come against Irish outfit Shelbourne and Finland's KuPS.
Aberdeen remain winless after a 1-1 draw at home to Armenia's Noah. — AFP
Uefa Conference League league phase results on Thursday:
AZ Alkmaar (NED) 2 (De Wit 70, Jensen 86) Shelbourne (IRL) 0
Hamrun Spartans (MLT) 3 (El Fanis 65, Smajlagic 74, Coric 90+2) Lincoln Red Imps (GIB) 1 (Lopes 57)
Lech Poznan (POL) 2 (Ismaheel 67, Agnero 90+5) Lausanne-Sport (SUI) 0
Omonia Nicosia (CYP) 2 (Semedo 34-pen, Neophytou 59) Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) 0
Rakow Czestochowa (POL) 4 (Brunes 27-pen, Diaby-Fadiga 40, 51, 53) Rapid Vienna (AUT) 1 (Antiste 75)
Sigma Olomouc (CZE) 2 (Ghali 8, 42) Celje (SLO) 1 (Vidovic 29)
Slovan Bratislava (SVK) 2 (Kashia 49, Yirajang 52) Rayo Vallecano (ESP) 1 (Perez 24)
Universitatea Craiova (ROM) 1 (Al Hamlawi 67-pen) Mainz (GER) 0
Zrinjski (BIH) 2 (Cuze 78, Bilbija 82) Hacken (SWE) 1 (Andersen 40)
Aberdeen (SCO) 1 (Nisbet 45) Noah (ARM) 1 (Mulahusejnovic 52)
Breidablik (ISL) 2 (Ingvarsson 6, Kristinsson 72) Samsunspor (TUR) 2 (Mouandilmadji 20, 55)
Drita (KOS) 1 (Manaj 20) Shkendija (MKD) 0
Fiorentina (ITA) 0 AEK Athens (GRE) 1 (Gacinovic 35)
Jagiellonia (POL) 1 (Pululu 51) KuPS (FIN) 0
Legia Warsaw (POL) 0 Sparta Prague (CZE) 1 (Preciado 41)
Rijeka (CRO) 0 AEK Larnaca (CYP) 0
Shamrock Rovers (IRL) 1 (Malley 87) Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 2 (Elias 23, Nazaryna 77)
Strasbourg (FRA) 2 (Emegha 53, El Mourabet 77) Crystal Palace (ENG) 1 (Mitchell 35)
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