Antony's meeting with Chelsea is on! Man Utd loanee instrumental as Real Betis take control of Conference League quarter-final with Jagiellonia Bialystok

Betis produced a commanding performance at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, emerging with a 2-0 win that puts them in the driving seat heading into the second leg. Cedric Bakambu broke the deadlock in the 24th minute with a clinical finish, while Antony was a constant menace on the flank. His sharp footwork and relentless movement caused chaos in the opposition half, and was also heavily involved in the second goal, scored by Jesus Rodríguez in added time at the end of the first half.

Should Betis advance from the quarter-finals, they are expected to meet Fiorentina in the semi-finals - assuming the Italian side finish the job in their own tie, holding a 2-1 lead over NK Celje. If Betis manage to overcome Fiorentina, a possible final against Chelsea awaits.

The west Londoners are firm favourites on their side of the bracket. Chelsea are cruising after a 3-0 win over Legia Warsaw in the first leg and are likely to face either Djurgarden or SK Rapid in the next round. Given their depth and European pedigree, the Blues are widely expected to reach the final.

The final is scheduled to be held at Stadion Wroclaw in Poland on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - a potential showdown between Antony’s Betis and Chelsea that would draw global attention.

Reflecting on the victory, Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini expressed his satisfaction with both the result and the application of his players.

"In the first half we scored twice and had a couple more chances," the Betis manager explained. "The second half we totally dominated – we had a couple against the post. We didn’t drop our intensity across the 90 minutes which is fundamental. Now we have to go there without letting this result affect our mindset.

"We couldn’t finish off the chances we had, but we kept looking for the 3-0 and had a couple of attempts against the post and a couple of other clear chances. I don’t want to criticise the players for not doing more – we were very secure defensively, and we had good number of opportunities offensively and got the 2-0 win."

Jagiellonia now find themselves in a tough spot heading back to Poland for the second leg on April 17. Overturning a two-goal deficit against an in-form Betis side - currently unbeaten in their last nine outings - will be a tall order. However, before travelling to Poland for the return leg, Betis will face Villarreal on Sunday, looking to maintain momentum in both domestic and European competitions.