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Chelsea Survive Warsaw Scare to Reach Conference League Semis
So, Chelsea fans had a bit of a nerve-wracking evening at Stamford Bridge, but the job is done—they’re through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League. Yes, it came with a 2-1 loss to Legia Warsaw on the night, but thanks to that solid 3-0 first-leg performance in Poland, the Blues progressed on a 4-2 aggregate.
Now, the match started off a bit shaky. Chelsea’s keeper Filip Jorgensen, who was picked over Robert Sánchez, conceded an early penalty. He brought down Tomas Pekhart in the 10th minute and, despite diving the right way, failed to stop the spot-kick as it slipped under his gloves. That early goal had Legia fans roaring in the away end—shirts off, full party mode.
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But Chelsea responded, and it was Jadon Sancho at the heart of it again. Just like in the first leg, he was pulling the strings, and this time, he whipped in a low cross that Marc Cucurella tucked away in the 33rd minute. The crowd relaxed a bit—briefly. Cucurella even found the back of the net again before halftime, but VAR ruled him offside. That second goal would've sealed the nerves, but nope, not tonight.
Then came the second-half sucker punch—Legia regained the lead in the 53rd minute. Claude Gonçalves swung in a beautiful cross, and Steve Kapuadi rose highest to nod it in. Suddenly, Chelsea were trailing again, and things started to feel tense. There were chances—Tyrique George came close, Noni Madueke had a go, and even George scored one that was chalked off for offside.
But ultimately, it didn’t matter. That first-leg cushion made all the difference. Enzo Maresca’s side now march into the semi-finals where they’ll face either Rapid Vienna or Djurgarden, who were still battling it out in extra time. Winning this competition could lock in a Europa League spot for next season, though Chelsea still have eyes on a Premier League top-five finish and a potential Champions League return.
So yeah, not the result we wanted on the night, but the bigger picture? Chelsea are still very much alive in Europe—and just two games away from lifting a trophy.
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