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The Hindu
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Chelsea defeats Real Betis in Conference League final to make history in Europe
A dominant Chelsea crushed Spanish side Real Betis 4-1 in the final of the UEFA Conference League to become the first team in Europe to win all the continental trophies on offer, on Wednesday (May 28, 2025). Goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo helped the London side cap off a massive second-half comeback after being 0-1 down at the break. Chelsea has now won the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Cup Winners Cup and the Conference League – the last one, a relatively new addition, was founded as the third-tier competition in 2021. Betis were gunning for their first-ever European trophy and it seemed like they were on course to achieving it in front of their boisterous supporters in Wroclaw, Poland, but Chelsea showed why the team has been an outlier in the tournament right from the first match day. In all, Chelsea has scored 42 goals in 13 games in campaign, highlighting the gulf in class between the English side and every other team it faced in the competition. The partisan crowd comprised mostly of travelling Betis fans, who provided a home-like atmosphere for their players to raise their level on a neutral ground. And the energy certainly powered the team in the first half as they challenged every ball with more intent and celebrated every time the Chelsea attack was broken down. CHELSEA ARE YOUR 2025 UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS! 🏆# — UEFA Conference League (@Conf_League) May 28, 2025 Veteran coach Manuel Pelligrini set up his team to play aggressively, exhibiting a pressing style that caught the young Chelsea side off guard. Abde Ezzalzouli grabbed the lead with a rifled left-footed finish in the 10th minute to swing the game in Betis's favour early in the game and send the fans into euphoria. Former Real Madrid star midfielder Isco was the orchestrator of the goal as he found Ezzalzouli on the counter, and the Moroccan found the net once again, just like he did in the semifinal against Fiorentina. An ageing Isco, who suddenly seemed almost overqualified to play in Europe's third-tier competition, continues to display glimpses of his Madrid heyday, an uptick in form that has recently been rewarded with a return to the Spanish national team. Chelsea, on the other hand, were error-prone and lacked cohesion in the final third of the pitch despite controlling a majority of the possession in the first half. The effects of the exhausting end-of-season run to claim a Champions League spot – which they eventually did on the final day of the Premier League – were evident in the side as the players looked spent and lacked accuracy in passing. Second-half turnaround The second half saw Chelsea grow into the game better, as the Blues pushed for the equaliser. An injection of pace and energy resulted in Enzo Fernandez bringing Chelsea back level in the 65th minute, thanks to a probing lob into the box from Cole Palmer. Fernandez charged into the box and glanced the ball into the back of the net. Within five minutes, Palmer was the architect again. Shrugging off two defenders on the right, Palmer sends a cross straight into the path of the unmarked striker Nicholas Jackson for another headed goal past the hapless goalkeeper Adrian. Chelsea had their tails up and were suddenly in a punishing mood. Jackson could have had a second goal about seven minutes later when he was clean through on goal with acres of space ahead, but a heavy touch gave the ball away as the oncoming Adrian snuffed out the chance. And then, the much-maligned Jadon Sancho finally had his moment in the sun. In the 83rd minute, substitute Kiernan Drewsbury-Hall dribbled into the Betis box and slipped the ball to Sancho on his left, who controlled the ball and found the far right corner for his first goal in the competition. The Manchester United loanee could be playing his last game for Chelsea. The rout was complete in stoppage time as defensive midfielder got on the action to score the team's fourth goal, again on the counter attack. Caicedo smacked the ball low and hard from the edge of the box and the outstretched Adrian could not get a hand on it. The win caps off a redemptive season for Chelsea, which is back in the Champions League and now has made history with multiple European trophies with one of the youngest squads in Europe. Fan trouble Ahead of the match, fan disorder in the Polish city led to 28 people being arrested, police said. Police had to use stun grenades and a water cannon against the teams' fans who were disturbing public order in the city, Polish state news agency PAP reported, adding that there were scuffles between supporters and bottles were thrown.
Arab News
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
From Palestine to Pittodrie: Oday Dabbagh proving a popular addition to Aberdeen's attack
PERTH: From Palestine to Pittodrie is a road less travelled, let alone by talented center-forwards, but Oday Dabbagh's move to Aberdeen Football Club is proving to be a fruitful one. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Dabbagh has scored three goals in six games since he joined Aberdeen on loan at the beginning of February from Charleroi in Belgium, with the Scottish Premiership club securing an option to buy this summer. There were no goals on Saturday at McDiarmid Park in Perth as his fourth-placed side drew 0-0 at relegation battlers St Johnstone. But there were plenty of examples of why the 26-year-old Palestinian has quickly become a popular figure at Aberdeen. Dabbagh flashed a header wide just wide of the post, produced a lovely back heel to set up Topi Keskinen for a blocked shot and impressed with his hold up and link play. The latter is especially true with Scotland international Kevin Nisbet, whom manager Jimmy Thelin has recently chosen to play just behind Dabbagh in Aberdeen's attack. 'Oday is a good combination player,' Thelin told Arab News after the match. 'He connects well with other players. I think him and Kevin have got a good relationship in the team. Oday has strengths. 'Today, we couldn't give him so much to work on with the passes into the box, but he's good at finding spots in the box and when he gets opportunities he's really calm and finds the goals.' The Swedish manager's thoughts were echoed by St Johnstone defender Zach Mitchell, who described Dabbagh and the Aberdeen attack as a 'threat' and that shutting them out was a 'tough challenge.' In Dabbagh's previous match, Queen's Park proved not as fortunate. That day Palestine's record scorer — 16 goals from 45 caps — netted a double in the quarterfinal of the Scottish Cup at Pittodrie, Aberdeen's home ground, in a 4-1 victory that earned a semifinal versus Hearts in April. In a rollercoaster season for Aberdeen, the semifinal is an opportunity to get one step closer to winning silverware for the first time since 2014. It is a bristling statistic for a club that enjoyed great success under the legendary Alex Ferguson in the 1980s, including three league title triumphs and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and Super Cup trophies. Under the guidance of Thelin, the club's fifth manager since 2021, Aberdeen had a remarkable start to the season, winning 10 of their first 11 league matches and even briefly topping the Scottish Premiership table. A dramatic decline that can be attributed to injury woes, defensive frailties and a lack of goals leaves Aberdeen a point behind third-placed Hibernian — who were bottom in November. The gap between Hibernian and Edinburgh rivals Hearts in sixth is a mere five points. With champions Celtic once again comfortably ahead of second-placed Rangers, finishing third is the aim for Aberdeen in the league. Third place earns a spot in the second round of Europa League qualifying, while fourth seals the equivalent starting point in the Conference League. Winning the Scottish Cup would earn Aberdeen coveted silverware and a Europa League playoff-round spot next season. That leaves ample opportunity for Jerusalem-born Dabbagh to further endear himself to the Dons supporters. In the games prior to Dabbagh signing, Aberdeen had failed to score in five league matches and not won in the Scottish Premiership since Nov. 9. 'He's the new type of striker that Aberdeen have needed this season,' Aberdeen fan Cameron Carnie told Arab News outside McDiarmid Park before the match on Saturday. 'He's going to do well. He's a lot more direct than the strikers we've had this season. I think it's a different dynamic, and he's good in the air as well. The fans have absolutely taken to him pretty well. 'Everyone wants him on a permanent deal. He's shone enough already. Hopefully he just keeps on banging in the goals.' Fellow fan Alan Hay, like Carnie from Aberdeen, a city in the northeast of Scotland famous for being the country's oil capital, was of a similar mindset with regards to Dabbagh's stint in a red shirt. 'It's early days but there's signs of promise,' said Hay. 'He's maybe trying a little bit hard at times but I'm feeling quite positive. There's a quickness, an awareness and an alertness to his game. 'He's willing to run. People love an exotic striker so it's something a bit different. He's got a bit of personality about him.' Dabbagh is the first Palestine international to play in Scottish football's top flight. The striker began his career with Palestinian club Hilal Al-Quds before moving to Kuwait. He then signed with Al-Salmiya, Qadsia, Al-Yarmouk and then Al-Arabi where he won the Kuwait Premier League and became the league's top scorer. Dabbagh moved to Europe for the first time when he joined Portuguese side Arouca in 2021 before joining Charleroi on a three-year deal in 2023. Dabbagh's next matches will be for his national team against Jordan on Thursday, and then Iraq on March 25 in World Cup qualifiers. Both matches are taking place at the Amman International Stadium due to the situation in his homeland. When Dabbagh returns to Aberdeen, for whom he wears the No. 11 shirt, there is much to play for. At the end of Saturday's match at McDiarmid Park, Dabbagh and the rest of the Aberdeen players walked to their supporters to applaud them before leaving the field. Among the throng of red shirts and scarves, a Palestinian flag was proudly waved in the air. Should the next stage of Dabbagh's footballing journey include the goals that propel Aberdeen to European football and — even more enticing — silverware, there will be many more Palestinian flags hoisted in celebration.
