Chelsea scored four goals in a
devastating second half display to beat Arsenal 4-1 and lift the Europa League
Trophy. The win in the all-English Final, played at the Baku Olympic Stadium in
Azerbaijan gave Italian Manager Maurizio Sarri a major trophy in his first
season in charge and Chelsea a first European title since the 2013 Europa
League.
After a tepid first half, former
Arsenal striker Giroud put Chelsea ahead in the 49th minute with an angled
header. The Blues doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Pedro diverted a
cross from Hazard beyond Petr Cech.
With
Arsenal on the ropes, defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles collided with Giroud to
concede a penalty that Hazard stroked home after 65 minutes. Alex Iwobi clawed
a goal back for Arsenal but Chelsea restored their three-goal cushion in the
72nd minute when Hazard swapped passes with Giroud to score his second.
After
the match, the Belgian star confirmed that he was likely to leave the club this
summer, amid widespread speculation about a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
By contrast, Arsenal has lost five of their six major European finals, with
their only victory coming in the 1994 Cup Winners' Cup against Parma.
No comments:
Post a Comment