Chelsea stormed back to defeat Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday night in Wroclaw, Poland, becoming the first football club in history to win all four major European competitions.
Real Betis, under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini, stunned the favourites early on as Abde Ezzalzouli fired them ahead in the 9th minute, capitalizing on a mistake in midfield by Malo Gusto. The Moroccan winger, who had also scored the decisive goal in the semi-final against Fiorentina, drilled a low left-footed shot past Filip Jorgensen after a clever assist from captain Isco.
Betis pushed for a second, with Marc Bartra and Johnny Cardoso threatening Chelsea’s goal, but the Premier League side survived the early onslaught despite struggling to create meaningful chances in the first half.
Enzo Maresca’s team returned from the break transformed, thanks in part to the introduction of captain Reece James. The turning point came in the 65th minute when Cole Palmer delivered a pinpoint cross from the right that Enzo Fernandez met with a well-placed header to draw Chelsea level.
Just five minutes later, Palmer once again provided the spark, weaving through defenders on the edge of the box before floating in a cross that Nicolas Jackson chested into the net to give Chelsea the lead.
Jadon Sancho, coming off the bench, added a third in the 83rd minute after combining with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, slotting home from a tight angle. Moises Caicedo then sealed the emphatic victory with a fourth goal in the closing stages.
The triumph marks Chelsea’s first trophy since the Todd Boehly-led consortium took over in 2022, ending a brief silverware drought and adding the UEFA Conference League title to their storied European resume. They now hold all four of UEFA’s major club trophies: the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and the defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.
The win also snapped a remarkable run of dominance by Spanish teams in European and international finals. Prior to Wednesday’s match, Spanish sides had won all 27 men’s finals involving their clubs or national teams since 2001 when facing non-Spanish opposition.
The streets of Wroclaw were packed with supporters from both sides before the match, with Betis fans heavily outnumbering their Chelsea counterparts. Tensions flared ahead of kickoff as Poland’s interior minister reported 28 arrests following clashes in the city’s main square.
Despite the early scare and an inspired Betis performance in the first half, Chelsea’s second-half resurgence delivered a resounding victory and a historic night for the club.
