Chelsea 1-0 Djurgården (5-1 agg): Blues breeze into Conference League final

Chelsea will play Real Betis in this season's Conference League final after edging Djurgården 1-0 in their semi-final decider to complete a 5-1 aggregate victory.

Match in brief: Chelsea round off comfortable victory

Chelsea have booked their place in the Conference League finalGetty Images

Leading 4-1 from last week's first leg in Sweden, Chelsea effectively already had one foot in the final later this month. And they extended their advantage in the 28th minute at Stamford Bridge, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall took Tyrique George's precise pass into his stride before finding the net.

To their credit, Djurgården refused to let their heads drop and continued to plug away in their maiden UEFA club competition semi-final. Tobias Gulliksen drilled narrowly wide from distance, while Filip Jørgensen was forced to tip over Daniel Stensson's fierce long-range drive.

At the other end, Tyrique George and Malo Gusto went close from tight angles. Ultimately, though, the single goal was enough to complete a routine aggregate victory and seal Chelsea's place in the Wroclaw showpiece.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scores the only goal of the second legGetty Images

Joe Terry, reporting from Stamford Bridge

I suspect a part of Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca will be more pleased about the second half than the first. He's not the type of manager who likes to shut up shop, but the way his side controlled the contest after half-time – in possession, at their tempo – is exactly what he wants. Roll on the final in Poland, which will be a huge occasion for the club to signal their return to winning silverware.

Reaction

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea coach: "[We are] very happy – the job is done tonight and now we have almost 20 days to prepare for this final. Hopefully, we can win this trophy."

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Chelsea midfielder: "[It is] amazing to be in the final. We set our sights at the start of the season to get as far as we can in this tournament, and it has been a long couple of months. But, one more game to go and, hopefully, we can lift that trophy."

Reece James, Chelsea captain: "We're happy. We're in another final, but it is probably something we expected coming into the game, and we expect to win the competition as well. Winning the trophy would be a huge achievement."

Jani Honkavaara, Djurgården coach: "I think everybody was a bit disappointed after the game. But, I have a smile on my face because we just have to be really proud of what we did as a team. We did it together with our fans, this long journey. I wouldn't change it. It's been historic."

Jacob Une, Djurgården captain: "Of course, [I'm] a bit disappointed, although we knew beforehand that it would be tough coming here – especially with the result we had in Stockholm. [There's] some disappointment, but on the other hand, you have to be realistic. In the end, I'm just super-proud of what we accomplished."

Key stats

• Chelsea are through to their eighth major European final, and their first since winning the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League.
• The Blues have now progressed from all 17 of their European ties when winning the first leg away from home.
• Chelsea have also won five of their last six semi-finals in UEFA competitions.
• Enzo Maresca's side have won each of their last five games in all competitions.
• His team have likewise triumphed in 11 of their 12 matches in the Conference League proper this term.
• Djurgården were the first Swedish team to reach the semi-finals of a major men’s UEFA competition since Göteborg in the 1986/87 UEFA Cup.

Line-ups

Chelsea: Jørgensen; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Cucurella (Mheuka 46); Acheampong, James (Chalobah 70); Walsh, Dewsbury-Hall, Sancho (Antwi 70); George

Djurgården: Rinne; Kosugi, Tenho, Une (Danielson 63), Bergh; Finndell (Selfvén 86), Stensson (Vucenovic Persson 81), Gulliksen (Atlee Manneh 86); Priske, Haarala (Alemayehu Mulugeta 63), Nguen