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Jacob Steinberg was at Stadion Wrocław tonight. Here’s his report. Congratulations to Chelsea, commiserations to Real Betis, and thanks to you for reading this MBM.
Enzo Maresca talks to TNT. “I am very happy … a little bit frustrated in the first half … we approached the game in the wrong way … the happiness after Nottingham Forest was too much … we struggled a little bit first half … the second half much better … we are very happy … the message after Nottingham was ‘guys, if we want to be an important team, what is done is done, now we need to win the final’ … we had 48 hours less than them … they played Friday for nothing, we played Sunday for a big target … I promise you, I will start always with Reece James … but I am trying to protect him … he played more games this season than the last two or three years … Malo Gusto is one of my preferred players … the problem is that the first goal we conceded was from his pass … he is young … a mistake, it doesn’t matter … for me personally I feel good … for the fans they deserve it … the club has invested a lot of money … this can be a starting point … creating something important … next season, we are going to try again … now we sit with the club and decide for next year.”
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca proudly shows off the trophy. Photograph: Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA
Levi Colwill speaks to TNT. “To be the first club to win everything possible … you can see how much it means to the fans … we knew Betis was going to be a good team … a lot of heart … but we knew it would die off … pick our moment … when you watch from the bench you can see where the spaces are … Benoît Badiashile worked hard and then the gaps opened … he put the foundations in for me … winning the final … my first European trophy … getting Champions League for next season … I don’t think you can end any better than that!”
… and then it’s Enzo Maresca’s turn to lead his men up to the podium! Gold medals are issued. Reece James is the last in line, and he’s handed the Conference League trophy. With a gentle smile, he wanders over to the rest of his team-mates, performs the pre-lift jig, and raises the big silver vase into the sky as gold ticker tape rains down. Then off they trot to their fans, taking turns to hoist their reward in exchange for whoops and hollers. It’s party time in Wrocław … at one end of the stadium, anyway.
Chelsea’s Reece James lifts the trophy with teammates after winning the Conference League. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
Now it’s Enzo Fernandez turn to hoist the trophy as the ticker tape cascades down on the celebrating players. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters
Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah (left), Noni Madueke and Chelsea’s Jadon Sancho take a selfie with the trophy. Photograph: Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA
Chelsea form a guard of honour as Real Betis come up to receive their silver medals. A lot of grim faces led by Manuel Pellegrini, who is trying his best to put a brave face on it. The final scoreline of 4-1 was cruel on them, but when the sting of defeat wears off, they’ll be proud to have broken new ground for the club, having reached their first-ever European final. A lovely bittersweet moment as Cédric Bakambu, smiling wryly as his medal is draped over his head, goes up to gently touch the trophy he won’t have the satisfaction of lifting. So close, and yet so far.
Reece James talks to TNT: “It’s a great feeling … we knew it would be tough … the early goal unsettled us … we grew into it … it’s devastating to know you’re not starting … but it was the manager’s decision … I was ready to come on when needed … the first half we were flat … we needed a reaction in the second half and we got it … the Conference League was something we had to win … next season we go again in the Champions League.”
… as does Cole Palmer: “I was trying to find space as the game got going, and I did … to be the only team in history [to win all four Uefa trophies] is a great feeling.”
Chelsea’s captain Reece James and teammates celebrate after the final whistle of the Europa Conference League final. Photograph: Dénes Erdős/AP
A lot of the Real Betis players are in floods of tears. Isco. Adrian. Pablo Fornals, whose chance to become the first player to win two Conference Leagues has gone up in blue smoke. Meanwhile Chelsea – including owner Todd Boehly, who has broken his trophy duck – continue to bounce about. Apart from Cole Palmer, whose two assists turned this final around; he simply wanders around in the cold style. Just another day’s work for this sublime footballer. He’d pretty much gone missing until finding another gear in the second half, as well, struggling to find his best stuff for the first hour. Hey, that’s what the great footballers can do.
The Chelsea players celebrate in front of their fans whilst the screen shows a tearful Pablo Fornals. Photograph: Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA
Chelsea cavort! As everyone in blue hug each other, leap on each other, dance with each other, Sancho takes time to console his fellow Manchester United loanee Antony. Only one of them turned up today, the Chelsea man scoring a fine goal, a strike he celebrated wildly with all of his team-mates and just about everyone on the bench. Don’t say this didn’t mean anything to Chelsea, because a trophy’s a trophy’s a trophy! That’s something Real Betis are painfully aware of, as several of their number look towards a spot exactly 1,000 yards into the distance. They were excellent in the first half, but Isco faded in the second, their goalscorer and main danger man Abdessamad Ezzalzouli got injured, and Chelsea turned to their talent-packed bench before turning on the style. In the end, Chelsea are deserving winners … but Real Betis made them work for it.
Chelsea’s Pedro Neto, Robert Sanchez and Nicolas Jackson give Marc Cucurella a celebratory soaking. Photograph: Darko Vojinović/AP
There’s celebratory cavorting too back in London, at a screening of the match at the 4theFans venue at the Steelyard. Photograph: John Walton/PA
Chelsea are the 2025 Conference League champions! They complete the full set of Uefa trophies!
90 min +5: Perraud is booked for taking a shot after the whistle that smacks Chalobah in the chops. A farcical end to the final.
90 min +4: Bartra balloons a shot off target from long distance. So much frustration in that. A first European trophy continues to elude Real Betis.
90 min +3: Chelsea’s bench en fête. Hugs and kisses.
Fernandez drives down the left. He rolls infield for Caicedo, who takes aim from the edge of the D and whistles a low shot into the bottom left. Adrian no chance!
Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo shoots … Photograph: Darko Vojinović/AP
And makes it four. Photograph: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Caicedo celebrates. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA
His teammates and the Chelsea fans join in the celebrations. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA
90 min: There will be five added minutes.
88 min: “Has someone told Antony he is still playing for Man United?” quips Malcolm Shuttleworth. He’s done nothing tonight all right, and now his frustration boils over, as he engages in philosophical debate with Fernandez, having had his offer of a help-up refused. The pair flap at each other but thankfully don’t connect. Grown men and all.
87 min: Palmer, who turned this game around for Chelsea with those two world-class assists, makes way for Guiu. Meanwhile Lo Celso has come on for Cardoso.
86 min: Or is it? Jesus Rodriguez enters the Chelsea box from the left and battles to get in ahead of James. He goes down, and there’s contact from behind, but who knows what referees think any more. No penalty, and VAR isn’t of a mind to overturn the decision. Real Betis not happy.
85 min: Sancho is booked for stripping off his shirt, like he’ll care about that. He disappears into a sea of team-mates. This is over.
Sancho doesn’t need asking twice! Dewsbury-Hall drives down the middle and passes towards Sancho to his left. Sabaly should intercept and clear, but misses the ball altogether. Sancho takes up possession, enters the box, and curls a powerful shot across Adrian and into the top right! Exquisite finish!
Chelsea’s Jadon Sancho shoots … Photograph: Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters
And scores. Photograph: James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images
Then celebrates. Photograph: Paweł Jaskółka/EPA
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca and Reece James celebrate their third goal scored by Jadon Sancho. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters
82 min: Fernandez spins to make space in the middle of the park before sending Sancho on a run down the left. Sancho drifts inside and considers shooting. He may as well have done, because after his dithering awhile, the move breaks down.
80 min: Jackson can’t continue – he might have tweaked a hamstring while butchering that chance – and is replaced by Dewsbury-Hall.
79 min: Jackson goes down, requiring some treatment. After the whistle goes, Palmer boots the ball away, and goes into the book as a result.
77 min: Sabaly wins a corner down the right. From the set piece, Cardoso shapes to shoot, but can’t get an effort away. Then suddenly Chelsea counter, and Jackson is completely free on the halfway line! He’s only got Adrian to beat, plus Sancho to his right, but takes an absurdly heavy touch to allow the keeper to claim. That should have been that.
76 min: Betis look collectively flustered. Even Isco, imperious in the first half, is struggling to control the ball. Such a shift in momentum.
74 min: So far, Chelsea have completed 477 passes to 198 for Betis. Whether that tells the whole story, I’m not sure, as it’s also fair to say it’s been a proper game of two halves so far. Can Betis reverse that by making this a half of two halves? They’ll need to. It doesn’t look like they’ve got it in them.
72 min: Betis have been sucker-punched by Palmer’s brilliance. They need something to change, and send on the pink-and-blue-haired Aitor Ruibal for the frustrated Bakambu.
Palmer assists again! And again it’s delightful. He turns Jesus Rodríguez inside out, like an old sock, with a dragback down the right. He crosses to the near post. Jackson again can’t miss. He should head home, but the ball pings off the Chelsea crest instead, and into the top right! What a turnaround.
Chelsea take the lead courtesy of Nicolas Jackson. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
Which he’s pretty happy about. Photograph: Petr David Josek/AP
Jackson, his teammates and the Chelsea fans celebrate. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA
69 min: Betis show in attack for the first time in ages, Cardoso dribbling down the left channel and rolling infield for Isco, who has the opportunity to shoot from just inside the box, but opts to take a touch instead. Bad idea. Chelsea swarm him, and the chance is gone.
68 min: Sancho drives down the left and cuts back for Palmer, on the left-hand edge of the Betis D. Palmer sidefoots hard towards the top left. Adrian does well to parry and claim.
67 min: On the touchline, Manuel Pellegrini wears a grim look. And no wonder, it’s been all Chelsea in this second half. Betis can’t keep hold of the ball at all. And now with the scores level, soaking up pressure suddenly doesn’t seem such an attractive option.
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