Crystal Palace were held to a frustrating goalless draw at home to AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League last-16 tie.
Last season’s FA Cup winners dominated with more than 70% possession and 13 shots but were unable to find the breakthrough.
In a first half that saw the Cypriot side – who appointed a new manager on Monday – fail to register a shot, Palace should have been ahead inside eight minutes when Evann Guessand was denied by Zlatan Alomerovic after connecting with Jorgen Strand Larsen’s cross inside the area.
Palace continued to push for a breakthrough as Larsen and Ismaila Sarr both went close before Alomerovic produced his second impressive save of the night to deny defender Tyrick Mitchell at the back post.
The home side – who lost 1-0 to Larnaca in the league stage in October – encountered more of the same frustrations in the second half as they struggled to break down the visitors’ rigid, five-man defence.
Sarr and Chris Richards headed off target after a pair of impressive deliveries from January signing Brennan Johnson, before Palace brought on Jean-Philippe Mateta for the final 15 minutes.
On his first appearance for the club since a failed move to AC Milan in January, the France international’s arrival was greeted with jeers from sections of the Palace fans inside Selhurst Park.
But he almost turned those jeers into cheers when he slid in to meet Guessand’s cross barely two minutes after coming on.
The winners of the tie will face either Fiorentina or Poland’s Rakow Czestochowa with the Italian side leading 2-1 after the first leg in Florence.
Crystal Palace analysis: Mateta return could be crucial despite boos
Palace fans will have left Selhurst Park with a strong sense of deja vu.
This is the second time Oliver Glasner’s side have failed to get the better of Larnaca in Conference League this season.
Even with new Spanish manager Javier Rozada at the helm, the visitors once again frustrated Palace by deploying a five-man defence.
Yet it might have been a different story on the night had Mateta been fit enough to start.
The Frenchman’s introduction was met with boos from parts of the home crowd as he made his first appearance since attempting to force a move away from Palace in January.
But had he managed to connect with Guessand’s cross to score what would have been the only goal of the game, it is fair to assume even the most disgruntled fans might have forgiven him for trying to leave the club two months ago.
“It’s not the sort of reception you’d want, just coming on to try and get a goal for the team,” said former Palace defender James Tomkins on TNT Sports.
“But you can half understand the situation the he put himself into. It’s just a matter of getting over that now.
“Next time he comes out to play, it will be completely different. There’s just going to be some frustrated fans around given the situation.”
After a blunt attacking display, the return of last season’s top scorer – whether fully embraced by Palace’s supporters or not – could prove crucial before next week’s second leg in Cyprus.
