- Chelsea were able to break a sensational record by beating Real Betis 4-1
- In doing so, the Blues became the first team to win every European trophy
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Is Ruben Amorim too honest?
Chelsea were able to break a sensational record by beating Real Betis 4-1 in Conference League final on Wednesday night.
The Blues put in a ruthless second-half display to overcome their spirited LaLiga opponents, who led at half-time thanks to an early goal from Abde Ezzalzouli.
However, second half strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo ensured Chelsea became the first ever side to win the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
By beating the Verdiblancos, Enzo Maresca’s side also brought to an end an incredible statistic achieved by Spanish teams in men’s finals.
The record stretches all the way back to 2002 and stood for a remarkable 22 years until Chelsea’s triumph.
It caps a strong end to the season for the west London outfit, who ensured they would return to the Champions League for the first time in three seasons by beating Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Chelsea broke a record stretching back 22 years by beating Real Betis in the Conference League final
The Blues became the first team history to win every European club competition
Betis ultimately were overpowered by a strong second half performance from Chelsea after they took a shock early lead
Victory against Manuel Pellegrini’s men means Chelsea brought to an end a run of 27 successive wins by Spanish teams in men’s finals.
That run began in the 2002 Champions League final, when Zinedine Zidane’s famous volley helped Los Blancos beat Bayer Leverkusen.
It also encompassed the dominant run of the Spain national team of the late 2000s and early 2010s, which won two successive European Championships either side of achieving World Cup glory for the first time in 2010.
Another hallmark of Spanish teams’ dominance in finals was the remarkable success of Sevilla in the Europa League, which they have won five times in the past 10 years.
The final win for Spanish sides in the sequence was capped by the national team’s victory over England in the final of last summer’s Euros.
Chelsea’s victory comes in what has been a fine first season at the helm for Enzo Maresca, who was able to turn the tide after a string of poor performances in the winter months.
He said: ‘The message after Nottingham was, “Guys if we want to be an important team, then what we have done is done and we have to win the final.”
‘But it’s the happiness, the tiredness, because we had 48 hours less than them.
‘They played on Friday for nothing, we played on Sunday for a big target. In the second half we played much better. I am very happy.’
