Chelsea will play Real Betis in the Conference League final on 28 May after they beat Djurgarden 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to round off a 5-1 aggregate victory.
It was a measure of this most unusual European season, in which Enzo Maresca's side have coasted to the showpiece in the Polish city of Wroclaw using largely their second string and swatting aside teams from Armenia, Kazakhstan and the Republic of Ireland, that 10 players were left out from Sunday’s win over Liverpool and a full debut was handed to 16-year-old midfielder Reggie Walsh.
The academy graduate, who became Chelsea’s third youngest-ever player in Stockholm a week ago, is yet to sit his GCSEs, but starting in Cole Palmer’s usual number 10 role, he gave a schooling to Djurgarden with some lovely touches of the ball that hinted at what might lie ahead.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a relative veteran at 26, got the only goal of the second leg, pinging the ball in off the post in the 38th minute after an incisive pass from Tyrique George, another academy graduate who looked every bit at home on the European stage.
Rafael Benitez, who delivered the Europa League in 2013 during his interim spell at Stamford Bridge, was in attendance. Maresca may shortly join him in delivering European silverware at the end of his first season in west London.
The Italian could afford the luxury of leaving out most of his first-choice XI, no doubt with Sunday’s crunch meeting with Newcastle at St. James’ Park in mind.
Qualification for the Champions League remains his principal goal and given the roughly 3,000 empty seats at Stamford Bridge and that plenty had departed before the final whistle, that sentiment towards UEFA’s fledgling third competition seemed shared.
Still, some silverware would boost belief and give Maresca a bit of credit in the bank.
To do that they'll have to get past Real Betis, for whom Abde Ezzalzouli (above) emerged as the hero after he netted an extra-time winner to make them the first Spanish side to reach the Conference League final with a 4-3 aggregate victory over Fiorentina.
The Italian hosts faced an uphill task of overturning a first-leg deficit after Betis won 2-1 in Seville last week.
Betis increased their advantage further on Thursday when Antony scored on the half-hour mark with a stunning free-kick, curling the ball over the wall and in off the post.
Fiorentina then managed to draw level thanks to two Robin Gosen headed goals within eight minutes. The German headed in from a corner in the 34th minute and then outjumped Marc Bartra to find the top corner to drag the match into extra time.
Betis ultimately edged through with a 2-2 result on the night after Ezzalzouli scored in the 97th minute from Antony's cross, sending Betis to the final in Wroclaw, Poland.
