Thursday's briefing: Glory for Chelsea and England prepare for Portugal game

South Wales Guardian

6 days ago

Abde Ezzalzouli gave Betis an early advantage and the Spaniards still led at half-time, but Cole Palmer inspired Chelsea's comeback, setting up goals for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson as the Londoners turned the game around in the space of five minutes.
Substitute Jadon Sancho then scored a fine third before Moises Caicedo sealed it as Chelsea became the first club to have won the Champions League, Europa League and the Conference League.
Three days after sealing a Champions League place for next season with a final-day victory at Nottingham Forest, Chelsea were celebrating again after a superb second-half fightback.
Four goals in the final 25 minutes left Betis players and supporters stunned and made this a season to remember for Chelsea and Enzo Maresca in his first campaign at the helm.
'We have improved a lot since we started, and we have started to win games in an ugly way, and with a young squad you can struggle to do that,' Maresca said.
'It can be a starting point. To build a winning mentality, you need to win games, to win competitions. The trophy we have won tonight is going to make us better.'
The end of the season did not bring an end to Manchester United's struggles as their post-season tour of Asia opened with a meek 1-0 defeat to the ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur.
United were booed off by some of the 72,000-plus crowd at the Bukit Jalil Stadium after Maung Maung Lwin's second-half effort proved the difference in Wednesday's Maybank Challenge Cup, leaving Ruben Amorim to say that might be something his players needed to hear.
'I feel always guilty,' the United head coach said. 'I said that in the last game. I am always guilty of the performance of the team no matter and since I am here in the first day, I am guilty.
'Then the boos from the fans, I think it's something that we need maybe because every game that we lost in the Premier League they were always there (cheering us). So, it's like the way of playing. If they see that it's not working, they will change the way they behave.'
Tottenham defender Ella Morris must wait for her England chance after being forced to withdraw from Sarina Wiegman's squad having sustained anterior cruciate ligament damage in training.
Right-back Norris, who has suffered ACL damage before, had been called into the squad for the first time ahead of Friday's Nations League game against Portugal but now faces surgery on the injury, with Manchester City's Laura Blindkilde Brown called up in her place.
Writing on Instagram, Morris said: 'Devastated doesn't even come close. So grateful for the incredible people around me. ACL round 2 – let's go.'
Craig Bellamy called 18-year-old Ronan Kpakio into his Wales squad before revealing he tried to sign the Cardiff full-back for Burnley last year.
Kpakio was the surprise name in Bellamy's 27-strong squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Belgium, having only made his first league start for Cardiff on the final day of the season at Norwich.
'I've known Ronan since he was very, very young and I've kept an eye on him,' said former Burnley assistant Bellamy.
'Even last year, I tried to buy him for Burnley, so I'm fully aware of him.'
A Wembley return on the horizon! 👊#Lionesses | @NuffieldHealth pic.twitter.com/uLTcP1mvMz
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) May 28, 2025
England boss Wiegman will address the media ahead of Friday's game with Portugal at Wembley.
After Chelsea's win in the Conference League, attention starts to turn to Saturday's Champions League final and the build-up to the clash between Paris St Germain and Inter Milan.
Martin Zubimendi could be the next big name on the move with the Real Sociedad midfielder inching closer to Arsenal.