Montero spoils McCarthy´s Palace debut

Crystal Palace suffered defeat in the final of the Cape Town Cup as Fredy Montero’s double earned Sporting Lisbon a 2-0 victory on Sunday.

The game marked Alex McCarthy’s Palace debut after joining from QPR on Thursday, but the goalkeeper was unable to deliver a clean sheet for his new employers.

McCarthy will be disappointed by the manner of the first goal, as Montero’s free-kick squeezed between the keeper and the left-hand post before creeping over the line.

That strike arrived 20 minutes from time and although Palace had opportunities to equalise, Montero made the game safe in the 85th minute by finishing off a swift break.

After a first half of few chances in Cape Town, Montero came off the bench on the hour and wasted little time in making an impact.

His free-kick from 25 yards lacked power but, despite getting his hand to it, McCarthy could not prevent the ball squirming into the net via the upright.

James McArthur had a chance to level almost immediately but his effort from inside the box was tipped over by Patricio, who then produced an even better save to keep out Scott Dann’s powerful header five minutes later.

With five minutes remaining, Islam Slimani raced away from Joel Ward and played in Montero, whose first-time finish left McCarthy with no chance.