Manuel Pellegrini Reflects on Heartbreak After Real Betis Collapse in Conference League Final Against Chelsea

Real Betis Coach Manuel Pellegrini Cites Injuries and Missed Chances in Painful 4–1 Defeat in Conference League Final.

Real Betis’ dream of lifting their first major European trophy ended in heartbreak. They were on the right track with an early lead in the first half. However, thst spirited first-half performance was undone by four goals from Chelsea in the second half. And the Blues confirmed the UEFA Conference League final win with that in Wroclaw.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men led going into the half-time after Abde Ezzalzouli opened the scoring in the ninth minute, assisted by a sublime pass from captain Isco. However, injuries to key players and a resurgent Chelsea side proved too much to overcome for the Spanish side.

Proud of you.

We will live many more nights like this.

Viva el Betis manquepierda 💚#Manquepierda pic.twitter.com/b9DPmXPO9N
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) May 28, 2025

Manuel Pellegrini – ‘Injuries Changed the Game’

Speaking after the game, Pellegrini reflected on a night that began with promise but unraveled quickly. He said, “We played a wonderful first half; we scored a goal, and we had two additional chances, but in the second half we were affected by injuries. Abde sprained his ankle, Ricardo [Rodriguez] also had to come off. That changed the dynamic completely.”

Betis had looked in control during the opening 45 minutes. They constantly troubled Chelsea’s defense. Especially Ezzalzouli kept charging and Betis controlled the left flank through Rodriguez. However, both were forced off in the second half. This allowed Chelsea to strike back with four unanswered goals after the break.

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Pellegrini acknowledged Chelsea’s strength which won the Blues the trophy. However, he felt that the final score did not reflect the true balance of play. His words reflected how close Betis came to winning the title, saying, “The final goal does not reflect the difference that existed between the two teams. We couldn’t maintain what we did in the first half.”

Coach and Captain Show Pride Amid Pain

Despite the loss, Pellegrini found positives in the team’s run to the final. He said, “It’s one of the toughest nights for me, of course, but we were facing Chelsea, not a minor opponent. Reaching this final and qualifying for the Europa League is a step forward.”

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Captain Isco echoed his coach’s sentiments. He acknowledged that their mistakes led to their downfall in the final, saying, “It’s a very heavy defeat after what we did in the first half… In a European final, mistakes are very punishing. In the second half, they ran over us. It’s painful.”

The coach also praised the fans for their unwavering support, saying “The audience was amazing, during the match and even afterwards. What hurts us more is our inability to give them this title.” However, the coach will not stay fixated on the loss as he is already looking ahead to working for the next season: “We’ll start working on the team for next season tomorrow.”

Chelsea

Conference League

Manuel Pellegrini

Premier League

Real Betis

Moumita Dutta

soccer

Football writer at The Playoffs. I’ve been obsessed with the beautiful game since I was a kid.. Eventually, I realized I could combine my passion for writing with my love for football, and I’ve never looked back. My favorite part of the job is everything—when you’re doing what you love, even a late-night deadline feels like extra time in a thrilling cup final. Lastly, Lionel Messi is the GOAT.