Fulham secured a 2:1 victory over Crystal Palace in a Club Friendly on Thursday evening at Selhurst Park. The match, played on 7 August 2026, saw the visitors take control with an early strike and maintain their advantage through the opening half. Crystal Palace pulled level before half-time but could not find a second equaliser.
A. Robinson opened the scoring for Fulham after just three minutes, catching Palace's defence unawarded. The home side responded well and found their equaliser in the 33rd minute, though the scorer was not named in the match report. Matheus Franca then restored Fulham's lead in the 47th minute, and Palace's attempts to respond came too late.
By then, the result reflected something about both sides' recent form. Crystal Palace had shown flashes of quality with a 3:1 win over Al Ula, but also endured heavy defeats against Lens and Bromley. Fulham, meanwhile, had been more consistent, picking up victories against Farense and Newcastle while drawing twice.
The match itself offered little in the way of statistics, as friendlies rarely track possession or expected goals. What mattered was the pattern of play — Palace's early responsiveness to going behind, their ability to equalise, and their failure to add a second goal once Franca's strike arrived.
For Crystal Palace, this was another step in their pre-season preparations, though the result would not carry weight beyond the preparation value. Fulham took a point from the friendly, and whatever tactical experiments were tried would be assessed in training rather than in public analysis.