Crystal Palace created club history as they defeated Shakhtar Donetsk in the Conference League semi-finals to move into their first ever European final.
The Eagles led 3-1 after the first leg a week ago in Poland, and thought they had stretched their advantage when Yeremy Pino raced through and slotted a calm finish into the net.
However, the winger was ruled offside following an extremely tight offside decision when he collected Jean-Philippe Mateta’s flick-on.
But, at a raucous Selhurst Park for the second-leg tie, Palace took the lead in the 25th minute.
Adam Wharton’s powerful 25-yard strike was pushed away by goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk, but it dropped for Daniel Munoz, whose low cross from a tight angle was steered into his own net by Pedro Henrique.
Shakhtar battled back to make it 1-1 on the night when Eguinaldo collected a Pedro Henrique pass and curled a fine effort into the top corner.
Mateta then went close to restoring Palace’s three-goal overall advantage just before half-time, only to hit the post with a spectacular scissor-kick.
But Ismaila Sarr sealed his side’s 5-2 aggregate success when he stretched to slide the ball into the net from Tyrick Mitchell’s low left-wing cross.
It was his ninth goal in the competition to make him the outright top scorer this term.
Palace will face Rayo Vallecano in the final on Wednesday, 27 May in Leipzig, Germany, after the Spanish side defeated French outfit Strasbourg – managed by Gary O’Neil – 2-0 on aggregate in the other semi-final.
Crystal Palace analysis – Eagles soar to continue strong run
For Palace, the success continued a remarkable spell in their history as they eye a third trophy in what would be just over 12 months.
After beating Manchester City 1-0 to win the FA Cup for the first time, that achievement should have earned the Eagles a place in the Europa League.
However, that was taken away from them as they were punished by Uefa for breaching multi-club ownership rules.
Palace were unsuccessful in their appeal, with Nottingham Forest getting their Europa League spot, while Oliver Glasner’s side dropped into the third-tier Conference League, where they have grown to show their quality.
After edging past Norwegian side Fredrikstad 1-0 on aggregate in the play-offs, Palace finished 10th in the league phase to advance into the knockout stages and now have a first European final to look forward to.
Palace had done most of the hard work with their win in Krakow last week, but Glasner will be delighted by his side’s approach in the return against dangerous opponents.
Shakhtar are on the verge of winning the Ukrainian Premier League and earning a spot in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League. Yet they were again second best to a disciplined Palace side who thoroughly deserved their victory.
Indeed, the winning margin could have been greater as they created other good opportunities.
With Palace also beating last season’s league champions Liverpool to win the Community Shield in August, Glasner was already the club’s most successful manager.
Yet it has been a turbulent season for him and the club.
The Austrian announced in January he would leave at the end of the season when his contract expires and Palace fell to an embarrassing FA Cup third-round loss to sixth-tier Macclesfield. They also lost captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City, while Mateta expressed a desire to leave too and only a failed medical prevented a move to AC Milan.
But despite the chaos on and off the field, Glasner’s last game in charge will now be the Conference League final.
Palace fans, who created a superb atmosphere throughout the match, revelled in the occasion as they chanted “que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be, we’re going to Germany”.
Indeed they will be, as they have another chance to end the campaign with a trophy.