It was vintage Ebere Eze: the midfielder collected the ball with a quarter-of-an-hour left, his team trailing, and a seemingly impossible task lay ahead of him to manufacture a shot, let alone a goal.
That he did so against UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla to bring Crystal Palace level – and set up a grandstand finish in which they pressed for the winner – was to the delight of the 21,000 supporters roaring inside an enthusiastic Comerica Park in Detroit.
The England international had already proven a crowd favourite across Palace’s US tour, receiving clamour from fans across Open Training sessions and matches in both Chicago and Detroit.
But to cap off the eight-day trip with such a moment of magic was fitting of a superb pre-season for Eze, who told Palace TV: “I don’t know [how it went in]. I just saw the space and the opportunity to get in behind them and thank God it went in.
“It was sick – sick energy. Obviously I’m disappointed we didn’t win in the end, but we worked hard and showed what we were about today, which was a positive.”
A 1-1 draw against the reigning UEFA Europa League champions was an eye-catching result for Palace, who were arguably the better team and pressed harder for the winner in the second half.
“I honestly feel that shows the quality we’ve got in the team,” Eze reaffirmed. “If we keep working and keep pushing, we’ll see where we can go.
“It [the US tour] has been top. It’s been a sick experience and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do it.”
