Mateta leads Crystal Palace to first European trophy after narrow victory over Rayo Vallecano

Crystal Palace began the match with energy, and Ismaila Sarr nearly created a golden opportunity for himself when he controlled the ball beautifully in the penalty area, but a solid block reduced the pace of his shot.

Daichi Kamada appeared to be breaking away from the defence until Pathe Ciss brought him down with a reckless challenge, escaping with only a yellow card.

Rayo Vallecano also produced a few warnings of their own, with Alexandre Alemao and Unai Lopez both sending efforts narrowly wide, but Tyrick Mitchell missed the best chance just before half-time when he headed a wonderful Adam Wharton cross just past the post.

Nevertheless, the first half concluded without either team registering a single shot on target, perhaps a cautious approach understandable given that both sides were appearing in their first European final.

After the restart, the Eagles aimed to increase the tempo, and Florian Lejeune had to be alert to prevent Jean-Philippe Mateta from scoring a tap-in, sliding in to intercept the pass.

However, the Frenchman was not to be denied shortly afterwards, gobbling up the rebound from close range after Augusto Batalla could only parry Wharton's shot from the edge of the box.

Glasner's team continued to press, and only the finest of margins prevented Yeremy Pino from doubling the lead, with his free kick bouncing off both posts before a combination of the woodwork (again) and the offside flag prevented anyone from converting the rebound.

Mateta was then denied by a fine save from Batalla, somewhat atoning for his earlier spill, and Sarr subsequently could not test the goalkeeper from close range.

Nerves began to creep in for the English side as the match entered its final ten minutes, and they had to withstand a few scares, but some resolute defending secured a remarkable achievement.

Glasner will now leave Crystal Palace on the highest of highs, delivering the club's finest moment in his final game in charge.

For Rayo Vallecano, the nine-game unbeaten run (W6, D3) could not have ended at a worse time, although they will still reflect on a memorable season in just their second European campaign, following a run to the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 2000/01.