Chelsea and Real Betis Secure First-Leg Advantages

Chelsea clinched a vital 4-1 away victory over Djurgarden in their UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first leg in Sweden. The Blues took firm control of the tie early, heading into half-time with a comfortable 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke. Sancho opened the scoring after 12 minutes, finishing coolly at the far post following a clever cross from Enzo Fernández. Madueke then doubled the advantage just before the break, curling a low strike into the bottom corner after a slick passing move involving Dewsbury-Hall and Fernández.

Chelsea made several changes at half-time, resting key players ahead of a busy domestic schedule, but remained clinical. Nicolas Jackson capitalised on a defensive error to score Chelsea’s third, before adding his second — and Chelsea’s fourth — with a superb curling finish on 65 minutes. Despite their dominance, Chelsea couldn’t keep a clean sheet, as Isak Alemayehu grabbed a consolation for Djurgarden, netting his first senior goal with a powerful header from Tobias Gulliksen’s cross.

Djurgarden had their moments — Priske, Finndell and Nguen all came close — but Filip Jorgensen made several key saves to preserve Chelsea’s lead. The second leg takes place next Thursday at Stamford Bridge, with the winner set to face either Real Betis or Fiorentina in the final.

In the other semi-final, Real Betis edged Fiorentina 2-1 in Seville to take a slender advantage into the return leg. Betis started strongly and opened the scoring inside six minutes through Abdessamad Ezzalzouli. Cédric Bakambu did brilliantly to shrug off his marker and square the ball for Ezzalzouli, whose effort struck the underside of the bar before VAR confirmed it had crossed the line.

The hosts had further chances through Bartra and Fornals, while Fiorentina also threatened — Mandragora sending a header narrowly wide in the first half. The game’s standout moment came in the 64th minute when Antony produced a stunning volley, firing a rebound into the top corner with his weaker right foot to double Betis’ lead.

Fiorentina pulled one back eight minutes later, capitalising on a defensive error. Robin Gosens showed great composure to find Luca Ranieri, who finished clinically to give the Italians hope ahead of the second leg. Betis accumulated an xG of 2.00 compared to Fiorentina’s 1.05, underlining their slight edge in an otherwise balanced and lively encounter.