Chelsea made history as the first side to lift all four of the major UEFA competitions after outplaying Real Betis 4-1 in a comeback victory in the final of the UEFA Conference League in Wroclaw. The win completes their previous accomplishments in the Champions League, the Europa League, and the UEFA Super Cup.
Betis began with a ninth-minute opener by Abde Ezzalzouli following a defensive mistake from Malo Gusto. The Blues labored in the first half, having an xG of 0.10 from one shot on target by Cole Palmer.
Manager Enzo Maresca made substitute appearances in response, with Reece James, Levi Colwill, and Jadon Sancho coming on. The changes worked as Chelsea levelled the scores in the 65th minute when Enzo Fernandez headed a cross from Palmer.
Five minutes later, Palmer had played his part once more, crossing to Nicolas Jackson to put the Blues ahead. Sancho scored in the 83rd minute with a curled strike, and Moises Caicedo put the final touches with a stoppage-time finish.
Chelsea collected 1.31 expected goals against 0.75 for Betis at the whistle, showing better finishing quality. This win not only added Chelsea’s set of major European honours to their trophy cabinet but also earned them €7 million in prize money.
The Blues will not get a place in the UEFA Super Cup, which is exclusive to Champions League and Europa League winners. However, they will participate in the FIFA Club World Cup, taking on Club Leon in their opening match on June 16.
Enzo Maresca Reacts to Winning First Trophy
Enzo Maresca spoke about winning his first trophy as Chelsea manager in his post-match press conference. He pushed for building a winning mentality, explaining:
“Hopefully it can be a starting point to build a winning mentality – you need to win games and competitions. For sure it will make us better but also I’m very proud of the path and journey in the Premier League – the most difficult competition in the world.”
He further spoke about his reaction after the match against Nottingham Forest:
“After Nottingham Forest, my outburst was a bit exaggerated but the reason why is because 38 games, you need to be consistent. It’s something unbelievable.”