Chelsea beats Real Betis and is Conference League champion
Two moments of brilliance from the Englishman allow Chelsea to come from behind and win the Conference League.
Chelsea , coming from behind in the second half, thwarted Betis ‘ dream of winning their first continental title tonight in Wroclaw . The Verdiblancos tried, with a brilliant first half and a goal from Abde that put them close to the title, but the power of the English liner and its squad of more than 900 million ended up imposing their particular logic thanks to a stratospheric Cole Palmer with goals from Enzo Fernández , Jackson , Jadon Sancho and Caicedo for a final score of 1-4.
History didn’t intend for the Poland final to be the one in which the team from Avenida de la Palmera would open their continental trophy case. But the progress Pellegrini ‘s team has made in recent years is encouraging. The “manquepierda” (the “manquepierda”), the loyalty of the Betis fans to their team through thick and thin, makes more sense today than ever because Betis gave their all and, although the title has eluded them, they are getting closer to achieving it…
Isco’s magic appeared first
In finals, those unique matches due to the atmosphere, the tension, the nerves, and, above all, the fact that they decide titles, it’s where the great players, the ones who truly shine, make the difference. And at Betis , that profile goes by the name of Isco Alarcón . The Malaga native didn’t even need ten minutes to break the deadlock with a pass of the kind that only players of his talent can see.
Antony , with a deflected header, and Palmer , after a great individual effort that ended with a shot saved by Adrián , had made the first attempts. But it was after Chelsea ‘s poor clearance from the back that the Arroyo de la Miel native worked his magic. Fornals intercepted the ball, Isco collected it and saw the space where there seemed to be none to assist Abde , who finished with his left foot into the net to open the scoring.
Far from reacting, Maresca ‘s team felt the blow, even narrowly escaping the second goal on two occasions. First, from a run by Bartra who, after playing a one-two with Bakambu , tried to surprise Jorgensen in the air. The Swede reacted well. And then, from a brilliant move by Abde that left Cardoso alone to score… but his shot grazed a defender and went out for a corner. Pellegrini had a hand to the head on the touchline.
It took the Londoners more than half an hour to create any sense of danger. A shot from Pedro Neto failed to find the target. Madueke ‘s runs and Palmer ‘s left foot seemed to be their only offensive weapons against a Betis side that had the final under control under the leadership of Isco , who, at this stage of the match, could only be stopped with fouls, some very hard, like Caicedo ‘s on the stroke of halftime.
Palmer made the difference
The 1-0 halftime lead set off alarm bells for the Londoners, and Maresca ‘s locker-room talk had an almost immediate effect on his team, who came out for the second half determined to immediately change the dynamics of the match. The Greens and Whites continued to play their part, but the intensity of the Chelsea players in every challenge bore little to nothing of what they had shown in the first 45 minutes.
Pellegrini had to bring on Perraud at halftime due to Ricardo’s injury. And just as the second half got underway, it was Abde who went down, making way for Jesús Rodríguez . The English side took advantage of this moment to try to attack one of Betis ‘s weak points : crosses from wide and dead balls. Jackson went headlong against Adrián , and Reece James , who had come on at halftime, looked for the equalizer with a powerful shot that Natan blocked . It was the first serious warning.
The tension in the air was palpable, and Chelsea ‘s Italian manager wasted no time in firing Jadon Sancho and Colwill . Virtually the entire A-unit, the one that has led him to the Champions League in the Premier League , was on the scene. And there, in another moment where the stars make the most difference, Cole Palmer ‘s left foot appeared … Starting from the right, he cut inside and delivered an exquisite left-footed touch so that Enzo , coming in from behind, only had to put his head in to equalize.
Now it was the Blues who were in a higher gear. And at the slightest attempt by Betis to attack, they came out on the counterattack like arrows. But it wasn’t with speed but with talent that they turned the score around. Of course, Palmer ‘s … He stepped on the ball near the right side of the area, with his back to goal, turned, leaving Jesús behind , somewhat indolent, rushed the byline and put in a cross that Jackson , finishing with an indefinite part between his chest and shoulder, completed the comeback.
The Senegalese had the decisive goal at his fingertips on a tremendous counterattack, running 40 meters alone into the box and ending up with an erratic last touch to allow Adrián to reach him before he could finish. But in the end, it was Jadon Sancho , capitalizing on a Sabaly error in the box, who, with a right-footed shot inside the far post, sealed the final. Caicedo ‘s 4-1 victory in added time mattered little. Chelsea had imposed their logic to win the Conference against a Betis side that, like its fans, was a model of dedication. They’ll have to keep trying…
