Christantus Uche delivered an impressive response to his Africa Cup of Nations snub as Crystal Palace eased to a 3–0 win over Shelbourne in the Europa Conference League.
The 22-year-old was left out of Nigeria’s 28-man squad earlier on Thursday but marked the night with his first goal for Palace and a lively all-round display in Dublin.
Uche opened the scoring on 11 minutes after linking well with Eddie Nketiah, finishing calmly to settle Palace into early control. He was involved again for the second, driving into the box before his effort was pushed into Nketiah’s path for a close-range finish.
Chrisantus Uche celebrating his first goal for Crystal Palace. Photo Credit: Imago
Yeremy Pino struck the third before the break, capping a dominant first half in which Palace’s movement and tempo overwhelmed the hosts.
The victory lifts Palace into ninth in the group and keeps their Round-of-16 hopes alive. Shelbourne’s defeat ends their European campaign.
Uche’s performance comes amid a period of personal scrutiny. Palace had considered sending the midfielder back to Girona earlier this season following a slow adaptation to English football, but recent displays have strengthened his standing within the squad.
He almost added a second late on, weaving through two defenders before shooting over from close range. Palace registered 29 attempts in total, while Shelbourne managed only one effort on target deep into stoppage time.
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Uche’s exclusion remains one of the more notable omissions from Eric Chelle’s AFCON squad.
Uche. Photo Credit: Alamy
The versatile midfielder, who enjoyed a breakthrough year at Getafe before joining Palace in the summer, can operate across several central and attacking roles.
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Chelle has instead picked Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika, with uncapped Usman Muhammed and Tochukwu Nnadi also included. Uche’s display in Dublin will only intensify debate over whether he deserved a place on the plane to Morocco.
