Crystal Palace midfielder Chrisantus Uche opened his goal-scoring account for the club in their 3-0 UEFA Conference League victory over Shelbourne on Thursday.

Making his first start for the Eagles, Uche struck in the 11th minute before Eddie Nketiah and Yeremy Pino added further goals to seal the win before halftime.

The Nigerian international finished off a well-placed assist from Nketiah to hand the visitors an early advantage at the Tallaght Stadium in Dublin, and was involved in the build-up to Palace's second goal. 

An alert Nketiah tapped in after Yeremy Pino played in Uche, whose delicate chip came back off the post, allowing the former Arsenal striker to follow up and double the lead.

The goal marks Uche's first for the club in ten appearances across all competitions since joining on loan from Getafe in the summer.

The midfielder will take confidence from his strong performance after a challenging start to life in the Premier League, though he will still be disappointed to miss out on Nigeria's final squad for the AFCON tournament in Morocco.

Nigeria is drawn in Group C alongside Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania as the Super Eagles aim to claim a fourth AFCON title when the tournament kicks off on December 21.

Adeyemi Adewale