Real Betis edged closer to a place in the Conference League final with a spirited 2–1 win over Fiorentina in a lively semi-final first leg on Thursday, sparked by goals from Abdessamad Ezzalzouli and Antony.

Fiorentina director Alessandro Ferrari feels the clash with Real Betis is ‘the toughest Conference League semi-final on paper’ compared to the last two years, a sign of the tournament growing.It

Chelsea took a big step toward advancing to the UEFA Conference League final by beating Swedish club Djurgården 4-1 in the first leg of their semifinal on Thursday.Nicolas Jackson struck twice six minutes apart in the second half after Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke netted in the first half for Chelsea to take control ahead of the second leg next Thursday at Stamford Bridge.