Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has delivered his verdict on Super Eagles forward Christantus Uche after the Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by Finnish side KuPS in the UEFA Conference League, Footynaija.com reports.
The draw at Selhurst Park meant Palace missed out on automatic qualification to the last 16 and will now face a playoff tie. Still, the standout moment of the game was Uche’s opener, an early brilliant strike that set the tone and highlighted his rising influence at club level
The performance adds fresh context to Uche’s situation with Nigeria. When Eric Chelle released his final AFCON 2025 squad, the Palace attacking midfielder was a notable omission. But Uche has responded the best way footballers know how, by delivering decisive moments on the pitch for the Eagles.

In the match against KuPS, Palace took an early lead when the former Flying Eagles forward cut inside and curled a precise shot into the far corner beyond the goalkeeper. However, Palace lost control for a period, allowing KuPS to turn the game around before a late equalizer secured a point for the English side.
Speaking after the match on TNT Sports, Glasner explained how he saw the contest and singled out Uche for praise.
“I was pleased with the performance especially of the youngsters,” the Palace manager said.
“Of course, fantastic goal from Uche, and then we could see we lost a little bit of structure for ten to fifteen minutes, and you get three finishes at the end and score two goals.”
Uche has now opened the scoring in back-to-back Conference League outings for Crystal Palace this season, continuing his impressive form across all competitions.


















