Crystal Palace defeat Swindon Town in friendly match with Matheus França hat-trick
Match Overview
Crystal Palace secured a victory over Swindon Town in a recent friendly match, with a final score of 5-1. The match saw Matheus França score three goals for Palace, contributing significantly to their win. The game was played at the Crystal Palace Academy Training Ground in Beckenham, London, a facility primarily used for the club’s youth teams and without stands for spectators.
The first half of the match featured two goals from Eddie Nketiah for Crystal Palace. Swindon Town managed to get one goal back through Fletcher Holman, narrowing the deficit before the break. The second half saw Palace introduce a new lineup, which included Matheus França, who then went on to score a hat-trick.
First Half Action
The game began with Crystal Palace pressing high, leading to an early corner on the right. After a scramble in the box, Nketiah scored the opening goal from a rebound. Palace continued their pressure, and Nketiah scored his second goal of the match, hitting the ball hard into the net.
Swindon Town had opportunities to score, including a free kick taken by Fletcher Holman that went over the goal. Aaron Drinan also had a shot saved by Benitez. Swindon earned a penalty after David Ozoh fouled Glatzel in the box, but Benitez saved Aaron Drinan’s attempt. Despite the missed penalty, Swindon’s pressure paid off when Fletcher Holman scored, invading the area and hitting the ball into the back of the net.
Second Half Performance
For the second half, Crystal Palace made several changes to their lineup, bringing in players such as Matthews, Jemide, Canvot, Benamar, Cardines, Devenny, Doucouré, Borna Sosa, Drakes-Thomas, Matheus França, and Brennan Johnson. Swindon Town also made extensive changes, with almost the entire team being replaced, though goalkeeper Ripley remained on the field. The new Swindon players included Debayo, Ball, Millard, Kirkman, Middlemas, Nichols, and Mabete.
Matheus França quickly made an impact in the second half, scoring his first goal after being released on a counterattack. He then converted a penalty after Joel Drakes-Thomas was brought down in the box, securing Palace’s fourth goal. França completed his hat-trick with a shot into the left corner following a counterattack, extending Palace’s lead.
During the second half, Brennan Johnson had a strong finish that went wide and later headed a cross to the right of the goal. Swindon’s Tom Nichols also had an opportunity, heading the ball over the goal. The game saw a decrease in pace towards the end, with Crystal Palace maintaining control.
Team Lineups and Transfers
Crystal Palace’s starting lineup included Benitez, King, Walker-Smith, Adaramola, Mingueza, Hughes, Ozoh, Mitchell, Esse, Rak-Sakyi, and Nketiah. Their bench featured Joe Whitworth, Remi Matthews, Daniel Imray, Jaydee Canvot, Mofe Jemide, Dean Benamar, Borna Sosa, Joel Drake-Thomas, Justin Devenny, Cheick Doucouré, Brennan Johnson, Rio Cardines, and Matheus França.
Swindon Town’s starting lineup was Ripley, Negru, McGregor, a trialist, Glatzel, Virtue-Thick, Kilkenny, Clark, Clarke, Drinan, and Holman. Swindon’s bench consisted of Lewis Ward and Lucas Griffiths-Brown. The transfer window for Crystal Palace has been quiet, with Evann Guessand being the only departure. Arrivals included Mingueza from Celta, and returning loan players Romain Esse, Owen Goodman, Matheus França, and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi. Swindon saw departures of Ryan Delaney, Thomas Wilson-Brown, Redman Evans, and Darren Oldaker, while welcoming James Debayo, Matty Virtue, Stephan Negru, and Mitch Clark.
The friendly match concluded with Crystal Palace securing a 5-1 victory.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
Isla Hartley is a Sports Reporter at NewsUK. She covered the British summer of sport from Wimbledon to the Test grounds. She focuses on tennis, cricket and athletics and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. She holds a degree in Sports Studies from the University of Stirling and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Glasgow, she runs half-marathons and follows Scottish athletics. “The overlooked athlete usually has the better story.”
