Chelsea beat Real Betis to win UEFA Conference League

Chelsea became the first club to win all four major UEFA competitions and the FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday.

The Conference League - UEFA's third-tier tournament founded in 2021 - was the only European title missing from Chelsea's collection. The London club previously won the Champions League in 2012 and 2021, the Europa League in 2013 and 2019, and the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup in 1971 and 1998. Chelsea also won the Club World Cup in 2022.

Betis struck early, with Isco splitting the defense in the ninth minute to find Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, who slotted a low left-footed shot past goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen. Manuel Pellegrini's side nearly doubled the lead five minutes later, but Jorgensen saved Marc Bartra's close-range effort.

Chelsea struggled to create chances in the first half but turned the match around after the break. Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 65th minute, heading in a cross from Cole Palmer, who was later named Player of the Match.

Five minutes later, Palmer danced past a defender on the right wing and cut back for Nicolas Jackson, who finished from close range to give Chelsea the lead.

Betis failed to recover as Chelsea continued to press. In the 83rd minute, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall led a counterattack and teed up Jadon Sancho, who curled a shot into the far corner to make it 3-1. Moises Caicedo added a fourth in stoppage time with a sweeping strike from the edge of the area.

"It's a great feeling [to win a trophy]," said Chelsea captain Reece James. "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. As the game went on, we grew into it."