Justin Devenny Celebrates UEFA Triumph but Focuses on Northern Ireland Friendlies
Justin Devenny has just celebrated winning the UEFA Conference League with Crystal Palace, marking his third major honour in just 12 months. This victory follows his contributions to the club's FA Cup win last season and scoring the decisive penalty in the Community Shield against Liverpool in August. Reflecting on the achievement, Devenny stated, "It was a great experience to win a major trophy. I thought the boys were great and thought we fully deserved it throughout the full competition. The celebrations were great as well, I enjoyed it." Despite this success, Devenny is not heading to the beach just yet. Instead, he is with Northern Ireland for two upcoming friendlies against Guinea and World Cup-bound France. The 22-year-old expressed, "There wasn't a question about me missing this. All I want to do is play football, especially when I've not been playing as much." Northern Ireland's recent loss to Italy in the play-off semi-final denied them World Cup qualification, but Devenny remains optimistic. He noted, "You can't dwell on it. You think, 'oh, that could be us', but again, it's done and what's in the past is in the past." Looking ahead, Devenny believes the squad can harness this disappointment as motivation for future tournaments, emphasizing, "Everyone's excited for what's to come ahead. We felt that heartbreak but what's done is done and I think that will be good for us to use because we don't really want to feel that again." With a challenging schedule ahead, including matches against top teams like Spain, France, and Germany, Devenny acknowledges the importance of these experiences, saying, "France are probably the best team in the world, so there's a lot to learn. Throughout your career, you want to challenge yourself against the best players."
Source: BBC Sport - 2026-06-02