"This is justice; they should have been in the Europa League and now they have qualified for it next year," said Glenn Hoddle on TNT Sports.
Following the multi-club ownership debacle which resulted in Crystal Palace being demoted to the Conference League, their presence in the Europa League next season will feel extremely satisfying.
There will be a tinge of sadness that this is the end of Oliver Glasner's tenure, but what a ride it's been.
The FA Cup, Community Shield and the Conference League all achieved after 119 barren years without a trophy.
Glasner's Palace have rewrote the history books.
Mateta told TNT Sports: "I feel fantastic!
"We did it. I just want to celebrate. I just want to party.
"We gave everything. I told you about the intensity they will have and I am tired right now, I gave everything. That's why we won today.
"They [the fans] have always supported me and they've always supported this team. This is for them."
Crystal Palace have done it!
In Oliver Glasner's final match, he bids farewell with the Eagles' first European trophy. He said the best day at Crystal Palace is still to come - he wasn't wrong!
90+3' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Pedro Diaz attempts an effort from distance and it looks to have taken a deflection on the way through, but the referee gives a goal-kick.
90+1' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
There's five minutes added on here at the Red Bull Arena.
Mitchell does excellently with a defensive header to thwart a Vallecano player waiting at the back post and the wing-back embarks on an enterprising run to win a corner at the other end. He looks exhausted, but that's terrific work at such a crucial moment.
89' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
In comes a free-kick and Florian Lejeune heads behind for a goal-kick.
Vallecano have been knocking on the door but the quality of chances they've fashioned haven't been good enough.
83' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
A free-kick is floated into the Palace penalty area and the second ball drops to Camello, who fires an audacious effort through a crowd of bodies and over the crossbar.
81' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Palace look like they're faltering so Evann Guessand is introduced to inject some energy into the ranks.
The substitutions for Vallecano have certainly turned the tide.
77' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
One final change for Vallecano as Ilias Akhomach makes his return from injury to replace Palazon.
The Madrid outfit are still knocking on the door here and this game, much to Glasner's bemusement, is becoming stretched.
Mitchell misjudges his clearance which enabled Camello to collect the ball in the penalty area, but Henderson made himself as huge as possible to block his dinked cross.
74' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
A sixth yellow card of the final is awarded to Yeremy Pino as he clipped the heels of the advancing Palazon.
The Rayo playmaker subsequently dusts himself off to take the free-kick, but fires high and wide from 25 yards out.
Oliver Glasner makes his first change as Jorgen Strand Larsen replaces Jean-Philippe Mateta.
71' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
There's an onus on Munoz to help a struggling Canvot and the Colombian does exactly that with an excellent defensive header.
68' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Massive chance goes begging for Vallecano.
Canvot is caught in no man's land as Garcia and Palazon engage in a one-two, and the former appears to have all the time in the world as he approaches the penalty area. But the winger dawdles, enabling Lacroix to close the angle.
That was Garcia's final act of the night as he's replaced by Pacha, while De Frutos comes off for Sergio Camello, who's scored in each of his last two appearances for Rayo.
64' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Mitchell is unearthing acres of space on the left flank as he hugs the touchline and stretches the pitch.
He's slipped into a 1v1 with a Vallecano defender, shifts the ball onto his left foot and fires into the side-netting.
63' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Garcia is the fourth Vallecano player to receive a yellow card after upending Kamada.
60' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Another chance is fashioned but this one falls to the head of Munoz, who is unconvincing with his effort at goal.
57' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Palace are fully in the ascendancy here.
Pino scampers forward and the Eagles briefly have a three on two. The Spaniard attempts to stab a through ball to Mateta, but his effort is excellently saved by Batalla.
55' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
How has that not gone in?!
A sublime free-kick from Yeremy Pino strikes the woodwork, bounces across the goal and then hits the other post. Chadi Riad then tries to convert but hits the woodwork again, although the assistant on the near side flags for offside.
54' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Are we sure it wasn't just an administrative error and Thomas Tuchel mistakenly spelt Adam Wharton as Jordan Henderson?
The midfielder has been mesmerisingly good in this Conference League final.
50' - Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Jean-Philippe Mateta breaks the deadlock in Leipzig!
It's all on Adam Wharton, who advances into Vallecano territory and fires a ferocious effort at goal that Batalla can only parry into the path of Mateta, who makes no mistake from inside the six-yard box.
There's pandemonium in the Palace end behind the goal!
47' - Crystal Palace 0-0 Rayo Vallecano
Assertive start from Palace.
Kamada's curled pass picks out the advancing Mitchell on the flank and he attempts to find Mateta in the penalty area, but Lejuene reads it excellently to avert the danger.
46' - Crystal Palace 0-0 Rayo Vallecano
Palazon commences second half proceedings in Leipzig.
Crystal Palace 0-0 Rayo Vallecano - Half-time Stats
HT: Crystal Palace 0-0 Rayo Vallecano
It's not been the most memorable halves of football I've ever watched.
Palace certainly finished the stronger of the two sides but Vallecano have proven more than worthy opponents in this Conference League final.
45+1' - Crystal Palace 0-0 Rayo Vallecano
That should be the breakthrough!
Wharton has been at the heart of every positive Palace move and he delivers a superb, inswinging cross to find the unmarked Mitchell, but the wing-back is unable to direct his header on target.
