Chelsea on Thursday rested their regular starters and still comfortably advanced to the UEFA Conference League final by beating Djurgarden 1-0 in the second leg of their semi-final.
The Premier League club advanced 5-1 on aggregate to set up a May 28 title match in Wroclaw, Poland, against Real Betis Balompie, who prevailed in extra-time for a 4-3 aggregate win over ACF Fiorentina to reach their first European final.
At Stamford Bridge, midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall collected a through pass from Tyrique George before scoring the winner with a low left-footed shot in the 38th minute.
Photo: AP
“Amazing to be in the final,” Dewsbury-Hall told TNT Sports. “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.”
Chelsea remain on course to become the first club to win all major European competitions. The Blues have claimed the UEFA Champions League (2012, 2021), the Europa League (2013, 2019), the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1971, 1998) and the UEFA Super Cup (1998, 2021).
Photo: EPA-EFE
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
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Ryan Yarbrough picked up a dazzling World Series ring from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Then he went out and beat them. The New York Yankees starter on Sunday pitched one-run ball over six innings, struck out a season-high five and blanked the Dodgers’ top four hitters in a 7-3 win. “I feel like I’m in a really good place right now and really trying to continue that,” Yarbrough said. “I’m having a lot of fun.” The 33-year-old left-hander made 44 relief appearances between the Dodgers and Blue Jays last season. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on July
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