What Dynamo Kyiv player Oleksandr Karavaev said on Crystal Palace fans, with chants about the ‘Russian drones’ and ‘f*ck UEFA’ heard.
Crystal Palace got their Conference League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv in Lublin, Poland, Daniel Munoz and Eddie Nketiah on the scoresheet, while Dynamo’s Borna Sosa was sent off.
Around 2,600 Palace fans filled the away end, earning praise from Dynamo’s Oleksandr Karavaev for their relentless singing, which created an intense football atmosphere.
Palace fans also chanted against UEFA, despite warnings, and sang a chant about downing Russian drones, referencing the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The Eagles extended their unbeaten run to a club-record 19 games, with more European matches in France and Ireland to come.
Crystal Palace fans during the game with Dynamo Kyiv in Poland last night.
“There were 8 Russian drones in the air and Jean-Philippe Mateta shot them down”
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) October 3, 2025
Crystal Palace fans in Poland tonight for their game against Dynamo Kyiv…
“There were nine Russian drones in the air and Jean-Philippe Mateta shot them down” 😂👏pic.twitter.com/IoEi7zbQmK
— Football Away Days (@AwayDays_) October 2, 2025
Dynamo Kyiv defender Oleksandr Karavaev said of the Crystal Palace fans, per dynamo.kiev.ua: “When you feel such support, even from the opposing team, a team from the EPL, which came to support with 2,500 to 3,000 thousand fans who sang throughout the match.
“In general, when you watch this championship on television and hear how fans in any city at any stadium sing songs in the same way, supporting their teams throughout the match, you understand the football atmosphere there.
“Today we felt a bit of that. It changes how you play. You become more focused, maybe a bit risky. You draw inspiration from this football atmosphere. Perhaps this played its role, as our fans also came to support us. When you feel this atmosphere, you play differently.”
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, following the 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Conference League: “We controlled the game most of the time. Just after the red card [for Borna Sosa], the pressure was a little bit more, but overall I think we deserved the win.
“We knew that they had played in the back five against Roma last year, so it was not completely surprising.
“Credit to the players because we scored a very nice goal with Daniel Munoz. This was one of our habits against a deep block, going in behind. We had two more big chances and I think it was a completely deserved win.
“It looks like teams [in Europe] react more to the way we are playing, so in the Premier League every team plays its style, their system, once or twice it happens that the opposition changes their system, and now we’ve two opponents with Fredrikstad and Kyiv, and both teams started in a different system than we expected.
“Maybe this is a little bit different, and we will see if this continues, but it is not difficult to prepare the team because they are so hungry to succeed and so ambitious. Of course we want to keep them pushing, and it is really easy to keep the focus high.”
On why Will Hughes was substituted early in the second half: “He got a knock on his thigh, on his quad. It gave him a dead leg and he was limping.
“We have a great medical department, so I hope that he will be available for Everton.”
Eddie Nketiah said to Palace TV: “I feel good. I’m enjoying my football, which is the most important thing.
“I’m happy to contribute and happy to be part of this team in such a great run. Hopefully we can keep it going.
“Obviously, it’s a really good start with the three points. A couple of goals is always nice and a clean sheet. We’re really happy and looking to build on it.
“I think it was really close, the first one. I thought I was onside to be fair! It was a nice finish. But yeah, Yeremy produced a wonderful bit of skill to be honest. And I was just alert, got across my man at the front post, and it was a nice finish!”
On Palace’s club-record 19 games unbeaten, he added: “We just go game by game. Obviously we’ve created a really good culture in there. Everyone just wants to contribute, everyone wants to play, everyone wants to win.
“We’re not really looking at the numbers, we’re more looking game by game, just trying to pick up as much points as we can in both competitions. We’re just going to keep doing that.”
Nketiah on his previous in Europe, having previously scored for Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League – and reflected: “Yeah, I mean, it can be long [in terms of] travel, especially since we’ve got a game away on Sunday as well.
“But it’s great to see so many Palace fans over here, and it made it a great atmosphere. It’s an amazing night, you know, to start our European journey with a win, and we’re just looking forward to these experiences.
“This is what we want. We have the squad to deal with it, so we’re ready.”
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