Jean-Philippe Mateta enjoyed a wonderful return to form during Crystal Palace’s crushing 3-0 win against Fiorentina in the first leg of Conference League quarter finals.
Mateta wanted to be out of the door in January but his AC Milan move failed to happen.
The French forward was at odds with the Palace faithful but delivered magnanimously on his first start for the PL outfit since January at Selhurst Park last night.
He scored a penalty, celebrated by flying kicking the corner flag like he does and received a standing ovation when he was substituted later on.
Mateta was clearly in high spirits even after full time as he just wouldn’t let go of TNT Sports reporter Olivia Buzaglo during a post-match interview alongside Tyrick Mitchell, another goalscorer on the night.
“I dreamed about that for nights” 😂
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 9, 2026
Jean Phillipe-Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell with a hilarious interview after beating Fiorentina 3-0 🙌
📺 Stream with TNT Sports on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/SIEc8sEmWL
Fans spotted the moment Mateta wrapped his big right hand around Buzaglo’s shoulders and continued doing the same for the length of the interview.
This scene caused anxiety among some people on X as they thought at one point Buzaglo was trying to squirm her way out of Mateta’s grip.
I like his enthusiasm and he's a great player, but the arm round her is a bit uncomfortable for a professional interview.
— Rich Hargreaves / Wickerrman (@rkhargreaves) April 9, 2026
But safe to say many thought that it was a normal, non-sexual behaviour with Mateta perhaps trying to get close to her to listen to the questions amid the noise from Palace fans.
And it also appears that even Buzaglo had her left arm wrapped around Mateta too, though it’s not visible from the angle the interview was taken.
