Chelsea roared back from behind to defeat Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League final held in Wroclaw, Poland, on Wednesday night.
The win marks a historic moment for the London club, as they become the first team in history to win all four major UEFA competitions—adding the Conference League to their Champions League, Europa League, and the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.
Real Betis started the game strongly and surprised Chelsea early in the match. Abde Ezzalzouli gave the Spanish team the lead in the ninth minute after a mistake in midfield by Malo Gusto. Captain Isco sent a clever pass to Ezzalzouli, who finished with a powerful left-footed shot beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.
Betis kept pushing for a second goal, with Marc Bartra forcing a strong save from Jorgensen and Johnny Cardoso going close soon after. The Spanish side, backed by a large number of fans in the Wroclaw stadium, controlled much of the first half, while Chelsea had more of the ball but failed to make their chances count.
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca made a key change at halftime by bringing on captain Reece James to replace the struggling Gusto. The switch helped steady the team, and the Premier League side came out with more energy in the second half.
In the 65th minute, Cole Palmer delivered a perfect cross for Enzo Fernandez to head home and level the score. Just five minutes later, Palmer was again involved, dancing past defenders before setting up Nicolas Jackson, whose chest deflection gave Chelsea the lead.
Jadon Sancho, coming off the bench, made it 3-1 in the 83rd minute after linking up well with fellow substitute Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Moises Caicedo then sealed the win in added time with a calm finish, completing a dominant second-half display.
The victory also marks Chelsea’s first trophy since the club was taken over by Todd Boehly’s group in 2022. It is a major milestone in the post-Abramovich era, as the team looks to rebuild its legacy under new ownership.
Notably, the result brought an end to a long period of Spanish dominance in European men’s finals. Before this match, Spanish teams had emerged victorious in the last 27 finals they had played in across all UEFA competitions and international tournaments, often defeating each other in those matchups.
