Kolkata : Chelsea completed their clean sweep of major UEFA men’s trophies with a comeback success in the UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis, with margin of 4-1.
Chelsea rallied impressively after conceding first against Real Betis in the 2025 UEFA Conference League final, four second-half goals scooping them the title in Wrocław.
Taking a high-energy approach from the off, Betis strove to break up Chelsea’s play high up the field and were rewarded. After nine minutes, Isco pulled the ball across the box for Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, and the Moroccan took a touch before firing a low shot into the bottom corner of Filip Jørgensen’s net.
The goalkeeper was at full stretch to deny Marc Bartra as the Betis No5 tried to catch him off balance with a shot from distance a few minutes later, and Benoît Badiashile delivered a crucial diving interception to block a Johnny Cardoso effort after the busy Ezzalzouli had battled his way into the box to set him up.
Possession stats had Chelsea on 65% at the break, but Enzo Maresca’s side had created little in terms of tangible chances, outstretched Betis legs repeatedly stifling their approach play. Captain Reece James came on at half-time, a limping Ezzalzouli was taken off after 53 minutes, and all of a sudden it was Betis who were being hustled off the ball, and looking like a side that had not kept a clean sheet in their previous 11 games.
James thumped a shot straight at defender Natan as Betis struggled to clear a corner, and there was no let-up for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, Cole Palmer’s splendid lofted ball into the box invited Enzo Fernández to nod the equaliser past the exposed Adrián on 65 minutes, and five minutes later Palmer produced another superb assist, turning a defender and lifting a ball across the box for Nicolas Jackson to force in at the near post.
A wall of green noise throughout, Betis’ fans did their best to reinflate their side, but there was no way back. First, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall picked out fellow substitute Jadon Sancho, with the Manchester United loanee calmly curling the ball in from an angle, before the masked Moises Caicedo made it 4-1 in added time with a low shot from the edge of the box.
Cole Palmer, the player of the match said, “We just picked up the intensity and put in a good performance [in the second half]. I was sick of getting the ball and just going backwards and sideways. [For] the first [assist] there was a bit of space and I saw Enzo running. Second one, same again. I feel like we showed good character again to make the comeback.”
With this, Chelsea are the first side to win all five of UEFA’s men’s club competitions, their first Conference League success following two UEFA Champions League triumphs, two in the UEFA Europa League, two in the UEFA Super Cup and two in the now defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
