Chelsea and Real Betis net Conference League semi-final wins | OneFootball

The Europa Conference League returned to action tonight with the first leg of both semi-final matchups as Djurgården played host to Chelsea, and Real Betis welcomed Fiorentina to the south of Spain.

Here is how the two matches broke down in Stockholm and Sevilla.

Chelsea dismantle Djurgården

Scorers: Mulugeta 68'; Sancho 13', Madueke 43', Jackson 59', 65'

Chelsea showed the gap in quality against Swedish outfit Djurgården during their 4-1 demolition job in Stockholm.

In what was a heavy mismatch on paper, Enzo Maresca's Blues got off to the perfect start on the night when Jadon Sancho finished from closed range to give the Premier League side a one-nil advantage in the 13th minute.

A stinging effort from Marc Cucurella nearly made it two-to-the-good for Chelsea six minutes later, with 3Arena falling increasingly silent as Maresca's men continued to turn the screw.

Madueke would not be denied on the night after an earlier chance went begging when he dispatched a fantastic near-post finish to put the Blues two-nil up on the night while placing one foot into the final.

Maresca would bring on roughly £200m worth of talent to guarantee the two-legged affair went their way with room to spare, and Nicolas Jackson would go on to supply the final body shot in the 59th minute after a communication breakdown at the back by the Swedish side.

Jackson secured his brace six minutes later, but a big moment for Djurgården youngster Isak Mulugeta saw the youngster give the club the slimmest of lifelines three minutes later while also bagging his first-ever goal for the club.

Chelsea would ultimately see out the result away from home and, baring a cataclysmic reversal at Stamford Bridge, will book their place in the Conference League final next week.

Real Betis place one foot into historic final

Scorers: Ezzalzouli 9', Antony 64'; Ranieri 73'

Spanish outfit Real Betis continue to believe in 2024/25 after a hard-fought 2-1 win against visiting Fiorentina in their semi-final first-leg meeting.

Betis jumped into the lead inside ten minutes through Moroccan international winger Abde Ezzalzouli to set Estadio Benito Villamarín ablaze on a night of anticipation Andalusia.

It was all Verdiblancos in the opening 20 minutes from an attacking standpoint despite La Viola boasting better possession, but Raffaele Palladino's troops did well to rally before the break, creating a handful of chances of their own to ease nerves among the traveling support.

After the break, in-form Brazilian winger Antony would continue his impressive rebirth away from Manchester United when he secured a second goal for Betis in the 64th minute, but Fiorentina centre-back Luca Ranieri would cut the deficit down to a one-goal advantage once more nine minutes later.

The lead would remain intact come the end of 90 minutes across an impressive display from the home side, with Manuel Pellegrini's Betis now just one leg away from the club's first-ever appearance in a major European final.

📸 David Lidstrom - 2025 Getty Images