Chelsea took a serious step towards the UEFA Europa Convention League last with a commanding 4-1 victory over Swedish aspect Djurgarden in Thursday’s semi-final first leg in Stockholm.

First-half objectives from Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke put the Premier League aspect firmly in management earlier than Nicolas Jackson bagged a second-half brace to successfully seal the win. The end result leaves Enzo Maresca’s males with one foot within the Could 28 last in Wroclaw, Poland.

“It was (an ideal evening), an necessary semi-final,” Chelsea supervisor Enzo Maresca advised TNT Sports activities.
“It’s an excellent end result, however we have now the expertise from the Legia Warsaw recreation, the place we gained 3-0 away and struggled at residence, so we have to keep targeted.”

Chelsea wasted little time asserting their dominance. Sancho opened the scoring within the twelfth minute after latching onto a lofted go and calmly ending previous the goalkeeper. The ball deflected off defender Marcus Danielson and into the web, compounding the hosts’ misfortune.

The guests tailored effectively to the synthetic pitch and took full management of the match, with Madueke doubling the lead two minutes earlier than the break. The winger feinted a shot earlier than slotting residence a medical end on the close to submit.

Djurgarden, weakened by a depleted squad with solely 14 senior gamers obtainable, struggled to comprise Chelsea’s tempo and motion after the break. Jackson capitalised with a well-taken brace, punishing defensive lapses to increase the benefit.

The Swedes did handle a late comfort aim, however the tie seems all however over heading into the second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Whereas Djurgarden grew to become the primary Swedish membership to achieve a European semi-final for the reason that 1986/87 season, their inexperience and lack of depth had been uncovered by Chelsea’s superior high quality.

Ought to the Blues progress, they’ll look so as to add the Convention League to an already spectacular European trophy cupboard that features two Champions League titles, two Europa Leagues, and two Cup Winners’ Cups.