Conference League Performance Insights: AEK Larnaca's resolve vs Ismaïla Sarr's quality
Friday, March 20, 2026
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UEFA's game insights unit and Technical Observer Savvas Constantinou explain how Crystal Palace’s attacking play evolved in the win against AEK Larnaca that put paid to the best defensive outfit in the UEFA Conference League.
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It was third time lucky for Crystal Palace when they overcame AEK Larnaca in their UEFA Conference League round of 16 second leg, with the English side finally solving the tactical conundrum posed by the best defence in the competition.
Deep defences have been a theme of this season's tournament, and AEK Larnaca's mastery of the 5-4-1 block was an important focus of Thursday's return fixture, particularly based on their success in shutting out Palace in the first-leg stalemate as well as the Cypriot club's 1-0 league phase win in London.
What gave watching UEFA Technical Observer Savvas Constantinou extra material for this analysis, produced with UEFA’s game insights unit, were the solutions that Oliver Glasner's team came up with to secure a 2-1 extra-time victory.
AEK Larnaca's clean-sheet kings
Prior to Ismaïla Sarr's 13th-minute goal at the AEK Arena, Crystal Palace had endured three and a quarter hours' frustration at the hands of a Larnaca side with six clean sheets (including two against the visitors) and just one goal conceded in a seven-match unbeaten run in the 2025/26 Conference League. The video below confirms Palace’s struggles against opponents who limited the spaces and maintained impressive central compactness in their team depth – at one point even defending with a 9v4 overload.
"They frustrated Crystal Palace with zero space in behind and within those central areas," said Constantinou. Not only were Javi Rozada's men compact in their low block and centrally; they kept small distances between their forward and back lines. With the AEK wingers also retreating into midfield, this restricted Palace to playing in front of their hosts' shape or to the side. Possession against the low block has not suited the Eagles in this competition: they had failed to win any of the three games in which they had recorded more than 65%.
As midfielder Adam Wharton explained to TNT: "In this competition it has been a lot more of us in possession, trying to break down the low block. [AEK were] tough to break down."
Hence the initial trend, highlighted in the clips, of Palace attempts to play through AEK being intercepted or blocked due to their structural connectedness.
Crystal Palace crossing takes priority
"Palace found solutions from wide areas with lots of crosses against deep-defending AEK," reflected the Technical Observer after Palace instigated a key change for the second half. The wing-backs were able to play wider, more freely and more productively in 1v1 situations thanks to a shift in approach from inside forwards Sarr and Evann Guessand, who now operated less in the wide areas and half-spaces to concentrate on getting into the box, attacking crosses and providing numbers for overloads. A further benefit was that fewer Larnaca defenders were attracted to the flanks.
The Eagles also beat the block by going direct in transitional moments – attacking the spaces in behind as quickly as possible. Wharton admitted they were "looking for the first-time ball in behind [and] to use the space while we've got it". This was the catalyst for two defining moments featured in the second video here: Sarr's opening goal and the sending-off of Enric Saborit, ten minutes after the defender's majestic headed equaliser.
It is instructive that in each case, Palace regained possession from AEK Larnaca's direct play – a goal kick – and countered quickly, making the early pass and trusting in Sarr's instincts to get in behind. "The only times Palace had space were from the direct AEK goal kick, which led to the transition for the goal – they were able to attack in behind," Constantinou affirmed.
Arguably the direct route also brought an element of chaos, evidenced by the foul on Sarr for Saborit's dismissal and the deflection off an AEK head that released Sarr to make it 1-0.
"These teams in the Conference League that we’ve come up against in Europe, they’re very compact, they sit in low blocks, so when you get the space on transition, we need to try to utilise that."
Coaching reflection: Ismaïla Sarr's star quality
For Savvas Constantinou, the game's outstanding player was Sarr – who, despite hitting the woodwork twice and having a strike ruled out for offside – now has five Conference League goals. The Technical Observer listed some of the individual qualities that enabled the 28-year-old Senegalese to make the difference, including for his one-touch extra-time winner from a cutback: "The team know his abilities as most of Crystal Palace's attacking phase of the game relies on Sarr's quality."
Ismaïla Sarr's qualities
• Moves well between lines and in wide areas
• Can play in crowded areas as well as space
• Very fast and runs well with ball
• Excellent at dribbling and in 1v1s
A goalkeeper with AEK Larnaca and the Cyprus national team, Savvas Constantinou moved into coaching, notably as head coach of Pafos and AEK Larnaca. He is currently Cyprus Football Association technical director and a UEFA Jira Panel member, in addition to serving on UEFA's Goalkeeper Expert Group.
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