"We are growing wonderfully."

Chelsea defeated Real Betis 4-1 in the final of the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa Conference League held at Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw, Poland, on the 29th (Korea time). Chelsea scored four goals in the second half after conceding a goal in the 9th minute of the first half.

With this victory, Chelsea became the first club to win all four UEFA-sanctioned club competitions: the Champions League (UCL), Europa League (UEL), UEFA Super Cup, and now the Conference League.

Betis completely dominated the first half. The opening goal by Abde Ezzalzouli was followed by consecutive chances for Marc Bartra and Borja Iglesias. Chelsea's defense wavered as Malo Gusto struggled.

At the start of the second half, Manager Enzo Maresca replaced Gusto with Reece James, and the tactical switch proved effective. Cole Palmer provided crosses to Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson, resulting in two goals, while substitutes Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo added further goals to seal the victory.

In his debut season, Maresca achieved a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and lifted a UEFA tournament trophy. Chelsea returned to the elite competition in Europe in just one year.

After the match, the UEFA Europa Conference League reported on an interview with Manager Enzo Maresca. He said, "We made some tactical adjustments at halftime, and we improved a lot in the second half. We are very pleased."

Regarding Palmer's outstanding performance, he praised, "The struggles Palmer faced this season will make him a better player, no doubt. He is a player who can decide games with goals or assists from the final third. The two assists he recorded today were excellent."

He said, "We have improved a lot compared to the start of the season. We are now winning games even in not-so-pretty ways. For a team made up of young players, winning in that manner is especially difficult."

Maresca noted, "The first half was tough for all of us, but we improved significantly in the second half. Jackson scored a goal, and that's the Jackson we want to see. This match can be a starting point. To develop a winning mentality, we need to win games and tournaments. The trophy we lifted today will make us a better team."

He added, "I wanted to win, but I was sure that whoever won would sincerely congratulate the opponent. Today I was lucky, but Manuel Pellegrini will surely be pleased for me too. If I had lost, I would have been sad, but I would have been happy for him."

[OSEN]