The Senegal forward struck after just 21 seconds in Poland, getting in behind Shakhtar's defence to collect Jean-Philippe Mateta's pass before slotting into the far corner. Shakhtar dominated possession after that but lacked the cutting edge as they chased an equaliser. Instead, Palace came closest to scoring again before half-time when a flowing move ended with Daniel Munoz's dangerous ball into the box being gathered by keeper Dmytro Riznyk just ahead of Sarr. The Ukrainian side, who hosted the tie in Krakow due to the conflict in their country, started the second half much like Palace did the first. And they grabbed an equaliser within two minutes of the restart as Oleh Ocheretko prodded in from close range after Kaua Elias headed on a corner. That seemed to lift Arda Turan's side and for a period they dominated possession, but it was Palace who threatened as Riznyk made two brilliant saves to deny first Sarr and then Mateta, who also struck the post with a hooked finish following a Chris Richards throw-in. But Palace were not to be denied in the 58th minute when another Richards throw caused problems and fell for Daichi Kamada to sweep home his first goal for the club since October 2024 at Aston Villa in the League Cup. With six minutes left, Kamada played a fine ball through for substitute Jorgen Strand Larsen, whose clever touch took him away from a defender before he calmly fired in a crucial third goal. With the return at Selhurst Park on Thursday, 7 May, the impressive display gave Palace one foot in a first major European final.

In a cagey affair at Estadio de Vallecas a looping header from Brazilian forward Alemao nine minutes into the second half was enough to hand the La Liga side a slender lead for next week's return leg in France. In a first half lacking quality, neither side registered a shot on target as Strasbourg dominated possession. But Rayo Vallecano - appearing at this stage of a European competition for the first time - came quick out of the blocks at the start of the second half and were soon rewarded for their efforts. The La Liga side broke the deadlock in the 54th minute when Alemao met Isi Palazon's corner at the near post to score his third European goal of the season. From there the hosts took control, with Strasbourg - managed by Englishman Gary O'Neil - unable to regain their early momentum. Former Newcastle United defender Florian Lejeune thought he had doubled the lead less than 10 minutes later, only for goalkeeper Mike Penders to claw his header off the line. Palazon and Unai Lopez also tried their luck from distance in the closing stages as Rayo Vallecano pushed for a second goal. The second leg will take place at Stade de la Meinau next Thursday, with the winner facing either Crystal Palace or Shakhtar Donetsk in next month's final in Germany.

Braga took an eighth-minute lead when Turkish midfielder Demir Ege Tiknaz met Victor Gomez's low cross into the penalty area and poked the ball into the bottom corner. Freiburg took advantage of a collision between two Braga defenders to equalise eight minutes later - Jan-Niklas Beste raced through on goal and squared for Vincenzo Grifo to finish. 2011-12 runners-up Braga lost captain Ricardo Horta to injury midway through the half, but spurned a chance to retake the lead when awarded a penalty for a foul on Gustaf Lagerbielke by Freiburg defender Philipp Lienhart. English referee Anthony Taylor awarded the spot-kick after consulting the pitchside monitor. Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu brilliantly tipped Rodrigo Zalazar's effort around the post, meaning the German has saved six of the past seven penalties he has faced. The visitors, playing in a European semi-final for the first time, looked the more likely to score in the second half, but Dorgeles converted a cutback from the byeline to spark wild celebrations in northern Portugal.