The break did wonders for Crystal Palace.Refreshed after nearly three weeks without competitive action, Oliver Glasner's side exploded out of the blocks at Selhurst Park, overwhelming a flat and unrecognisable Fiorentina to take a commanding 3-0 advantage into the second leg.From the very first whistle, Palace looked sharper, quicker, and hungrier. The hosts seized control early and made it count in a devastating seven-minute spell midway through the first half.Crystal Palace’s decorations for their game vs. Fiorentina got stuck everywhere 😂The match was even delayed after some got caught in the net 😅 pic.twitter.com/dWMM6Tyv9M— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) April 9, 2026 It all started with Daniel Munoz, whose relentless runs down the right caused chaos. One such move led to a penalty after Dodo brought down Eberechi Eze's replacement on the flank, with VAR confirming the decision. Jean-Philippe Mateta stepped up and coolly ended his goal drought to make it 1-0.Moments later, it was deja vu. Munoz was involved again, Mateta forced a save from David de Gea, and Tyrick Mitchell reacted quickest to slot home the rebound.Fiorentina, so often a Conference League regular in recent years, had no answer. Their only real first-half threat came through Albert Gudmundsson, but it was Palace who dictated the tempo throughout.Six goals now in the UEFA Conference league for Ismaïla Sarr this season… 🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/fHj8Om0CfU— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) April 9, 2026 The second half briefly hinted at a response – Giacomo Bonaventura rattled the woodwork – but any hopes of a comeback were crushed late on when Ismaila Sarr added a third to cap a dominant display.With history on their side and a three-goal cushion in hand, Palace now look well on course to follow the path of English clubs like Leicester, West Ham, Aston Villa and Chelsea, and take a decisive step toward the UEFA Europa Conference League final.##NAJAVA_MECA_9658188##UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE – QUARTER FINALSFirst legThursdayRayo Vallecano – AEK 3-0 (2-0)/Ahkomach 2, Lopez 45+2, Palazon 74 pen/Crystal Palace – Fiorentina 3-0 (2-0)/Mateta 24 pen, Mitchell 31, Sarr 90/Mainz – Strasbourg 2-0 (2-0)/Sano 11, Posch 19/Shakhtar – AZ Alkmaar 3-0 (0-0)/Pedrinho 72, Santana 81,83/