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Chelsea eased to a commanding 4–1 victory over Djurgarden in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League semi-final on Thursday, putting themselves firmly in the driving seat for a place in the final.
In the other semi-final, Spain’s Real Betis take a slender 2–1 advantage into the return leg against two-time runners-up Fiorentina.
Chelsea established early control in Stockholm thanks to first-half goals from Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke, before Nicolas Jackson added a second-half brace to seal the win.
“It was an important semi-final,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca told TNT Sports. “It’s a good result, but we know from the Legia Warsaw tie that we must stay focused. We won 3–0 away in that one and still struggled in the return leg.”
This marks Chelsea’s debut campaign in the third-tier European competition, and they now have one foot in the final, which is set to take place in Wroclaw, Poland, on 28 May.
Lifting the trophy would add to the club’s European honours, which include two Champions Leagues, two Europa Leagues and a pair of Cup Winners’ Cups.
By contrast, Djurgarden became the first Swedish side since the 1986/87 season to reach a European semi-final. However, manager Jani Honkavaara had just 14 fit senior players available to face the Premier League giants.
Sancho opened the scoring in the 12th minute after latching onto a lofted pass and calmly finishing. A failed clearance by Marcus Danielson deflected off his arm and into the net, compounding Djurgarden’s misfortune.
Chelsea adapted quickly to the artificial pitch and began to dominate, with Madueke doubling the lead just before half-time with a clever finish at the near post.
Djurgarden nearly pulled one back before the break, but Chelsea’s Swedish-born goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen reacted sharply to deny Tokmac Nguen’s deflected strike.
Jackson then struck twice in quick succession — first tapping in from close range after a defensive error, and then unleashing a powerful shot from the edge of the area for Chelsea’s fourth.
The hosts managed a consolation goal in the 68th minute, as teenager Isak Alemayehu Mulugeta headed home his first senior goal.
“Very good performance,” Jackson said post-match. “The most important thing is that we won. It’s one step forward and we hope to reach the final.”
In the night’s other fixture, Real Betis got off to a flying start as Abde Ezzalzouli scored with a stunning strike off the crossbar in the sixth minute. Antony, on loan from Manchester United, added a second for Betis with a superb long-range effort in the 64th minute.
Fiorentina reduced the deficit late on through Luca Ranieri, setting up an intriguing second leg.
Both return fixtures are scheduled for next Thursday.
