Chelsea rallies past Real Betis to win Conference League final
Chelsea sparked into life in the second half as it came from behind to claim the Conference League trophy with a 4-1 victory over Real Betis on Wednesday, with its revival inspired by the creativity of Cole Palmer at Wroclaw Stadium.
Goals from Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson — both set up by the excellent Palmer — plus late strikes from Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo secured the silverware after Betis went in at halftime leading 1-0 thanks to an early Abde Ezzalzouli strike.
The 23-year-old Palmer's two assists in five minutes during the second half turned the contest around for the Premier League club, and he was named Player of the Match for his efforts.
The victory means Chelsea becomes the first team to win all three European competitions, having lifted the Champions League twice along with two Europa League trophies. The Blues have also won the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup.
"I am very happy," Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. "I was a little bit frustrated in the first half because I think we approached the game in the wrong way.
"In the second half we played much better."
The result had no bearing on European qualification for next season, with Chelsea having secured a Champions League spot and Real Betis a place in the Europa League via their domestic campaigns.
Before the match started, Betis fans set off green flares, their vibrant glow embodying the fervor and historic pride of the club's debut appearance in a European final.
Betis, however, appeared nervous in the opening minutes before going ahead when Isco found the unmarked Ezzalzouli at the edge of the box in the ninth minute, giving him plenty of time to break the deadlock with a powerful low shot.
Betis nearly doubled its advantage minutes later when Marc Bartra's long-range effort forced Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen to tip the ball over the bar.
Johnny Cardoso later received a perfectly weighted pass that put him in an ideal position to score another goal for Betis, but a moment of hesitation allowed Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile to block his attempt.
In the first half, Betis pushed forward and Chelsea was outplayed.
It was a different story in the second half, however, as Chelsea seized control, dominating midfield and orchestrating a series of attacks that left Betis scrambling.
The pressure bore fruit in the 65th minute when Fernandez slipped between two defenders to head home a pinpoint Palmer cross for the equalizer, which ignited a roar from the Chelsea fans.
Five minutes later, the match had completely turned around when Palmer cleverly turned his marker near the byline and again delivered a precise cross that enabled Jackson to bundle the ball into the net off his chest and put Chelsea ahead.
Sancho effectively ended the contest in the 83rd minute by firing into the far corner, and Caicedo put the icing on the cake with the fourth goal in stoppage time to delight the fans and secure the London club's seventh major European trophy.
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