Crystal Palace beat Fiorentina to advance to the Conference League semi-finals, with England goalkeeper Dean Henderson unable to resist interacting with supporters
Dean Henderson fully participated in the post-match celebrations (Image: TNT Sports)
Crystal Palace star Dean Henderson has made the transition from goalkeeper to manager after leading cheering chants for fans after the win over Fiorentina. The Eagles advanced to the Conference League semi-finals with an aggregate win over the Serie A side on Thursday night.
Despite losing 2-1 that night, they secured a place in the last four with a 3-0 win at Selhurst Park. Henderson was interviewed by TNT Sports after the game, but couldn’t help but join in with the supporters’ celebration.
During his interview, a fan could be heard yelling, “Deano, make this a song.” Henderson responded by asking for a moment before launching into Shakira’s 2010 World Cup anthem “Waka Waka.”
Song continued: “12th again, who’s going to give the highest rating? We won the FA Cup.” When Henderson returned to the interview, the reporter replied, “You’re just conducting the orchestra. Listen, you can keep winning, right?”
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The Palace man replied: “Of course I do. That’s the aim. For this group to come together at the business end of the season. We will come together.”
Speaking about Palace’s win, Henderson added: “This is unbelievable. Obviously for this football club, this is really sensational. Obviously given last year’s FA Cup, to continue to move forward after that and write a new chapter in this book is phenomenal.”
“(Our fans) have stuck by us during difficult times this season, so we hope we can deliver something really special.
Dean Henderson fully participated in the post-match celebrations (Image: TNT Sports)
“It was a tough game. Very tough. You really don’t know what’s going to happen. 3-0 is a dangerous scoreline. We’ve managed to get through, so who cares?”
“Obviously, the goal is to go win. That’s the goal. There’s a cohesiveness to this group. So at the business end of the season, we come together and move forward.”
Palace now look forward to facing Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the semi-finals. The first leg will be held in Krakow later this month due to the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The return game is scheduled for May 7th at Selhurst Park. Meanwhile, Spain’s Rayo Vallecano will face Strasbourg in the other semi-final, with the final to be held in Leipzig on May 27th.
Meanwhile, Palace are looking to end their final Premier League season on a positive note under manager Oliver Glasner. They currently sit in 13th place, but with one game remaining, they are six points behind sixth-placed Chelsea.
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