Chelsea captain Reece James has expressed delight as the club defeated Real Betis 4-1 on Wednesday night to lift the UEFA Conference League trophy.
The England right-back believed winning the title was crucial for the Blues to demonstrate progress from previous campaigns.
How it happened
Real Betis dominated the early exchanges and took a deserved lead in the ninth minute when Isco delivered a no-look pass to Abde Ezzalzouli, who opened the scoring.
Chelsea struggled in the opening 45 minutes, with James coming on for the out-of-sorts Malo Gusto at halftime, although the Spanish side should have increased their tally before then.
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Player-of-the-match Cole Palmer, delivered an exciting cross for Enzo Fernandez to head home to level the scores, before the Englishman once again crossed for Nicolas Jackson to put the Blues ahead.
Jadon Sancho bent in an unstoppable curler to spark jubilant scenes, while Moises Caicedo added gloss on the victory with a fourth in added time.
The match ended 4-1 in favor of Chelsea, as Enzo Maresca’s men sealed a comeback 4-1 victory over Real Betis.
What James said
“It’s a great feeling. As the game went on we grew into it and thankfully we scored four goals in the second half,” James told TNT. “Coming into this competition, it was something we had to win. Next season we go again in the Champions League.
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“I thought in the first half we were flat. The game didn’t go our way early on and it looked like it took a lot out of us. We needed a reaction in the second half and we got it,” James continued.
“We knew the game was going to be tough; they made it tough for us in the first half. They got an early goal and it unsettled us.”
History made in Poland
By winning the Conference League on Wednesday, Chelsea became the first team to win all of Europe’s three major trophies, after previously winning the Champions League and the Europa League.
The London side also became the first foreign side to deny a Spanish team in an European final since 2001.
Next up is the UEFA Champions League, for which the Blues have qualified for by virtue of finishing fourth in the league standings, although major reinforcements in key positions is required if they are to mount a serious challenge.
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