After all the celebrations, this was a reality check for Crystal Palace. Having comfortably beaten Dynamo Kyiv on their Conference League debut, the FA Cup winners had been expected to roll over their Cypriot counterparts in the club’s first home game in the main draw of a European competition. Instead Oliver Glasner’s side were handed a harsh lesson about what it takes to be successful at this level as a mistake from the teenage defender Jaydee Canvot on only his second start since joining in the summer allowed Larnaca to take a surprise lead before some stout defending kept Palace’s onslaught at bay. Perhaps this won’t be the procession that many had predicted after they were demoted from the Europa League. “We made one mistake and they punished us,” said Glasner. “The players will learn from it. I know this group. It’s a frustrating night. On the other side, maybe the whole environment needed it to stay humble.” To mark the occasion, Palace’s fans unfurled a huge tifo before kick-off with a slight variation on the Dad’s Army theme tune and was no doubt aimed at Uefa. “We are the boys that will win your little game,” it read together with red and blue arrows advancing on Leipzig, where the final of this competition will be played. Palace certainly have a team capable of making it all the way. But question marks remain over whether their squad can cope with the rigours of a schedule of six games in 18 days before the next international break, with Glasner making only three changes from the thrilling draw against Bournemouth at the weekend as Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada were rested. Jean-Philippe Mateta spurned a golden opportunity to win that with the last kick of the match and the France striker picked up where he left off when his effort from six yards bounced up on to the crossbar after 21 minutes following an unconvincing save from Zlatan Alomerovic. Larnaca were content to sit back and soak up the pressure despite thrashing Dutch side AZ 4-0 in their opening match. That is something that Palace will have to get used to in a competition where they will be expected to have the majority of possession. Mateta wasn’t far away on two occasions just before the break but there was a lack of intensity about the hosts without their first-choice midfield pulling the strings. Palace should have taken the lead straight after the restart when Maxence Lacroix somehow missed the target from a Will Hughes cross. They were made to pay immediately when Canvot gifted possession to Marcus Rohdén in his own half and fed Riad Bajic, whose shot arrowed into Dean Henderson’s top corner. Glasner immediately replaced Canvot with Eddie Nketiah and switched to a back four but Mateta still could not beat Alomerovic after being presented with another great chance from close range. Wharton and Kamada were introduced but it felt like it wasn’t going to be Palace’s night when Nketiah could only produce an air shot with the goal gaping before Christantus Uche also failed to make contact with a Marc Guéhi cross late on. With a trip to face Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday and with not much time to recover, Glasner will hope that his players can put the disappointment of suffering only a third home defeat of 2025 behind them quickly.