Christantus Uche marked his first start for Crystal Palace in memorable fashion on Thursday night, scoring a stunning goal as the Eagles played out a 2–2 draw against KuPS in their UEFA Conference League clash at Selhurst Park.
The Nigeria international wasted no time making an impact, opening the scoring inside five minutes to register back-to-back goals in the competition.
Uche picked up the ball on the edge of the area, shifted it onto his left foot and curled a brilliant outside-of-the-boot effort into the top corner.
The 22-year-old midfielder, on loan from Getafe, briefly required treatment after picking up a minor knock but continued to influence the game. He had an opportunity to double Palace’s lead in the 26th minute, although his effort failed to hit the target.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner was full of praise for Uche’s performance, describing his opener as a “fantastic goal.”
Speaking after the match, the Austrian tactician highlighted the display of the younger players while reflecting on the overall performance.
“I was pleased with the performance, especially of the youngsters,” Glasner told TNT Sports. “Of course, a fantastic goal from Uche. Then we lost a little bit of structure for ten to fifteen minutes, and at the end you get three finishes and score two goals.”
However, Glasner confirmed that Uche will not make his full Premier League debut when Palace face Leeds United on Saturday, explaining that several players were rested with the league fixture in mind.
“We rested a few players tonight because we knew we would need them for a game in a few days,” he said. “Leeds now know our starting XI because none of the players who started today will play on Saturday. It will be a competitive game.”
Since joining Crystal Palace on deadline day, Uche has made six Premier League appearances, all from the bench.
He is among the players scheduled for a recovery session on Friday as the team prepares for the trip to Leeds United.
