UEFA Conference League semi-finals: What to look out for in the second legs

Crystal Palace host Shakhtar in south London holding a comfortable lead, while Strasbourg aim to overturn a narrow first-leg loss to Rayo Vallecano in their UEFA Conference League semi-final deciders on Thursday 7 May.

See what lies ahead in the second legs.

Crystal Palace vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Ismaïla Sarr's strike within the first 21 seconds of Palace's visit to Shakhtar was the fastest-ever in the competition, but the eight-goal forward says records are only "bonuses" as the Eagles eye a Conference League final place. "We still have work to do," said Sarr, the competition's joint-top scorer. "We’d been alerted not to give Shakhtar any space, as they're a dangerous team when they have the ball. The first job was to shut them down, which we did."

In their first season in the competition, Shakhtar dominated possession in the first leg and had six more attempts than their opponents, leaving coach Arda Turan encouraged but regretting defensive errors against a "great" team. "Crystal Palace played against us the way they usually play against Manchester City, Arsenal and other top Premier League opponents," observed the former Türkiye player, a Europa League winner with Atlético de Madrid as a player. "There is no word for giving up in my dictionary," he added. "We will do our best in the second leg and let's see what happens."

Strasbourg vs Rayo Vallecano

Coach Íñigo Pérez had mixed emotions after Rayo Vallecano's first-leg triumph in Madrid, secured by Alemão’s 54th-minute header. "When you have a match like this, where we deserved to score a few more goals, you're left feeling a bit disappointed," he said. "But we have to appreciate what we've achieved: a win and a clean sheet." Mindful perhaps that Strasbourg overturned a 2-0 deficit against Mainz in the quarter-finals, defender Andrei Rațiu added: "I wish we'd scored a few more so we could head to France with a bit more peace of mind."

That they escaped a heavier defeat will give Strasbourg coach Gary O'Neil encouragement ahead of the return leg in Alsace, and they may have a few players back from injury by the time of the return fixture. "We had no substitutes on the bench for either attack or defence," the English coach said after the first instalment, mindful that Strasbourg are still very much in the game. "It’s an achievement to have done what we've done here with such a young squad. They've shown courage and bravery."

Where is the 2026 Conference League final?

UEFA via Getty Images

Leipzig Stadium in Leipzig, Germany, is the venue for the Conference League final on 27 May 2026. The 47,000-capacity stadium staged five games at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and four at UEFA EURO 2024, including the dramatic 1-1 draw between Croatia and Italy in Group B.