Triumphant Chelsea had to win Conference League, says captain James
Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Chelsea - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - May 25, 2025 Chelsea's Reece James celebrates after the match after qualifying for the Champions League next season REUTERS/David Klein
Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Chelsea - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - May 25, 2025 Chelsea's Reece James celebrates after the match after qualifying for the Champions League next season REUTERS/David Klein
WROCLAW, Poland - Chelsea overcame a flat first half to secure the Conference League crown with a 4-1 victory over Real Betis on Wednesday, sealing a pre-season ambition to lift the trophy that captain Reece James believed they had to win.
Chelsea will be competing in the Champions League next season by virtue of finishing fourth in the Premier League, a major step up in quality for their young squad, but having had the taste of European success they will be hungry for more.
"It's a great feeling. As the game went on we grew into it and thankfully we scored four goals in the second half," James told TNT. "Coming into this competition, it was something we had to win. Next season we go again in the Champions League."
Chelsea trailed at halftime and deservedly so as Betis dominated the first 45 minutes and might have been further ahead following Abde Ezzalzouli's early opener.
But Enzo Maresca's Chelsea side took control after the break and, led by their irrepressible England international Cole Palmer, romped to an easy win in the end.
The midfielder laid on goals for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson, before Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo made the scoreline more emphatic late on.
"I thought in the first half we were flat. The game didn't go our way early on and it looked like it took a lot out of us. We needed a reaction in the second half and we got it," James said.
"We knew the game was going to be tough; they made it tough for us in the first half. They got an early goal and it unsettled us."
Chelsea are the first English side to win all four major European trophies - including the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup. They have also won two UEFA Super Cups.
"To be the first club to have won everything possible, you can see the fans celebrating now and it shows how much it means to them," Chelsea defender Levi Colwill said.
"We knew they (Betis) were going to be a good team, especially at the start with their fans pushing them on, but we knew it was going to die off.
"We just had to wait and pick our moments and that is what we did in the second half." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Paris to deploy 5,400 police for Champions League final
FILE PHOTO: A Police officer stands guard on the Champs Elysees avenue, next to the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris, France, April 26, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo PARIS - Paris will deploy 5,400 police officers for Saturday's UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, police chief Laurent Nunez said on Friday in an interview with French broadcaster Cnews. Although the match will be held in Munich, a PSG victory would be expected to spark celebrations in the club's home city which could escalate into disturbances. In light of the incident in Liverpool earlier this week in which a car ploughed into soccer fans, Nunez said traffic around the Arc de Triomphe - one of the city's best-known landmarks - will be blocked from midday Saturday, with the Champs-Élysées boulevard and nearby streets also closed that evening. PSG's win over Arsenal earlier this month, which secured their place in the final, sparked a night of unrest in Paris, with 47 people arrested and three others injured after being hit by a car. "From 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) this Saturday, there will be no more traffic on the Champs-Élysées and in the perpendicular streets," Nunez said. "Individuals who come solely to commit vandalism and loot businesses, that's a pattern we're obviously working to systematically put an end to. That will also be the case on Saturday evening," he added. "We will obviously be extremely firm. As soon as there is damage, attacks on law enforcement, there will be interventions." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Al-Nassr working on renewing Ronaldo deal, says club chief
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Nassr v Al Khaleej - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 21, 2025 Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo scores their second goal from the penalty spot. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo RIYADH - Al-Nassr are negotiating with Cristiano Ronaldo over a contract extension but face competition from a host of clubs eager to sign the five-times Ballon d'Or winner, the Saudi side's sporting director Fernando Hierro said on Thursday. Speculation over the 40-year-old Portuguese forward's future intensified after Al-Nassr's season-ending match at Al-Fateh on Monday, with Ronaldo posting on social media: "This chapter is over. The story? Still being written." "Ronaldo's contract with Al-Nassr runs until June 30. We will work to renew his contract so he can continue with us, and there are many clubs interested in signing him," Hierro told a news conference. Despite Al-Nassr failing to qualify for the Club World Cup, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last week that discussions were underway about Ronaldo playing in the June 14-July 13 tournament in the United States. FIFA has created a special transfer window for clubs to sign players for the event, and while Wydad Casablanca had been linked with a move for Ronaldo a source close to the Moroccan side told Reuters last week they were not in talks to sign him. Ronaldo finished as the top scorer in back-to-back Saudi Pro League seasons and Hierro described him as a trailblazer for Saudi soccer. "Ronaldo's presence from the beginning is a national project," Hierro said. "Cristiano has opened up soccer in this country to the world. It's phenomenal that he had the courage to come here, stay here, and open up the Saudi Arabian league to the world." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Hazlewood's return fuels Bengaluru's IPL title dream
Cricket - Indian Premier League - IPL - Qualifier 1 - Punjab Kings v Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, India - May 29, 2025 Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Josh Hazlewood celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Punjab Kings' Shreyas Iyer, caught out by Jitesh Sharma REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Cricket - Indian Premier League - IPL - Qualifier 1 - Punjab Kings v Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, India - May 29, 2025 Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Josh Hazlewood celebrates with Virat Kohli after taking the wicket of Punjab Kings' Azmatullah Omarzai, caught out by Jitesh Sharma REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis NEW DELHI - Questions about Josh Hazlewood's fitness were posed repeatedly at Royal Challengers Bengaluru's press conferences ahead of their Indian Premier League playoff and the Australian showed on Thursday why there was so much interest in his availability. Returning to action after spending a month on the sidelines recovering from a shoulder injury, Hazlewood helped put Bengaluru on the cusp of a first IPL title with figures of 3-21 against Punjab Kings. Three-times runners-up Bengaluru bundled out Punjab for 101 and then chased down the target in 10 overs to book their place in Tuesday's final. On a pitch that offered swing and bounce, Hazlewood took the key wickets of fellow Australian Josh Inglis and rival captain Shreyas Iyer, blows which Punjab never really recovered from. "The bowling unit was obviously back to the unit that bowled for most of the tournament, and again, we knew our roles really well," Hazlewood told reporters after their eight-wicket win. "There was a little bit of seam movement, the bounce was probably a little bit inconsistent, so we sort of utilised that as best as we could." Hazlewood's 21 wickets from 11 games make him the third highest wicket-taker this season behind Noor Ahmed (24) and Prasidh Krishna (23), both of whom have played three games more than the Australian. On Mullanpur's spicy wicket, a target of around 150 could have proved tricky, said Hazlewood. "They probably just had to pull back a little bit and try and get a score on the board, you know, 150-160 would have been a difficult chase potentially," he added. "But I think we only let them bat as well as they could have, through our bowling." The lively wicket also meant Hazlewood did not have to push his body to the limit on his return from injury. "The wicket helped obviously, I didn't have to bowl any fast yorkers or anything like that, so yeah, it's feeling not too bad." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
