The pressure on Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner is growing after his side were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at Zrinjski Mostar in the first leg of their Conference League knockout play-off.
The out-of-form visitors, who arrived at the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium having won just one of their last 14 games, had appeared on course for a much-needed victory in freezing Bosnia thanks to Ismaila Sarr's well-taken first-half opener.
But despite 73 per cent possession in Mostar, Glasner's team failed to hold on to that lead as Karlo Abramovic drilled home a deserved equaliser and it could have been worse for the Eagles after the Video Assistant Referee recommended a late penalty, only for the on-field official to decide otherwise.
In what was Palace's first-ever knockout tie in Europe and perhaps their most important game of the whole season, it was Sarr who made the breakthrough just two minutes before half-time after a well-worked move.
Record £43 million January signing Jorgen Strand Larsen neatly laid the ball off to the Senegal forward, whose curling effort found the bottom corner from just inside the area.
However, having already been warned in the first half as the Bosnian champions spurned one glaring opening when Antonio Ivancic fired wastefully over, the visitors were not so lucky ten minutes after half-time.
Adam Wharton, who otherwise impressed, gave the ball away inside his own half and within two passes Leo Mikic fed Abramovic, whose low finish gave Dean Henderson no chance as Zrinjski showed why they are unbeaten at home in Europe this season.
Palace, who lost Maxence Lacroix to injury, saw Wharton's thumping drive from distance hit the bar with 19 minutes to go, but will also feel they should have created more against opponents who finished the league phase in 23rd position in the standings.
And the pressure on a clearly unhappy Palace head coach, who sections of the away fans targeted with chants of "we want Glasner out," would have ratcheted up even further had referee Manfredas Lukjancukas decided to award an 82nd-minute penalty for a handball against Daniel Munoz.
However, the on-field official ruled against his VAR and decided the Palace wing back had actually been fouled just prior to handling the ball, giving the Eagles a great chance to now progress to a last-16 clash against either AEK Larnaca or Mainz in next week's second leg, in what is sure to be a rocking Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner on TNT Sports:
"It was against Burnley the same. We were controlling the game, having the lead. And then we just made two easy mistakes. And then even when you see all the opportunities, we have always an overload. But then we can't defend the one vs one.
"When you have the lead like today, and then controlling the game, just don't give them these easy opportunities.
"And this is what we have to do. We have to be very self-critical today. That we control the game, like against Burnley, but we give away the momentum with easy mistakes.
"And maybe that's what we have to learn. With a few young players in defence. But the learning should be quick."
