Chelsea edge through on historic night for home nations

Chelsea scraped into this season’s revamped UEFA Europa Conference League despite losing 2-1 to Servette in Switzerland on Thursday night.

The double European Champions are joined among the 36 qualifiers by Welsh side The New Saints and Larne from Northern Ireland who become the first clubs to represent those nations in UEFA competition proper, after coming through the qualifiers for the first time.

Defeat on the night but the Blues are through on aggregate. 💪#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/rzWAmoOqA0

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 29, 2024

Star-studded Blues off colour in Geneva

Enzo Maresca’s side won the first leg 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and when first-leg hero Christopher Nkunku put them ahead on the night at the Stade de Geneve with a 14^th minute penalty after Mykhailo Mudryk was fouled in the area by Keigo Tsunemoto, the Blues looked home and dry.

However Jeremy Guillemenot levelled on the night just after the half-hour when he latched onto a through-ball and fired a first-time shot past new Blues keeper Filip Jorgensen.

When sub Enzo Crivelli headed home a left-wing cross from Miroslav Stevanovic to make it 2-1, and 2-3 on aggregate 18 minutes from time, Chelsea nerves were jangling.

The hosts piled on the pressure late on in search of an equaliser and Timothee Cognat curled inches past the base of Jorgensen’s upright in stoppage-time, but Chelsea saw it through.

Into the Conference League as the first Welsh side ever to qualify for the group stage of a major European competition – what a night for TNS! ❤️#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/iDEwbFqcML

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) August 29, 2024

Technically another English-based side will join them in the hat for the league phase draw which will take place on Friday.

The New Saints made history by becoming the first Welsh Premier League club to reach the latter stages of a European competition.

TNS – who play their home games just over the border at the Park Hall Stadium in Oswestry, Shropshire, saw out a goalless draw against KF Panevezys on Thursday evening, having won 3-0 in Lithuania last week.

They currently lie ninth of 12 in the Welsh league, however have played only one match, winning it 4-1, while their rivals have all played four games already.

Northern Ireland’s Larne also made history by becoming the first NIFL Premiership side to qualify for a UEFA tournament proper.

They went through in style as Andy Ryan fired a stunning hat-trick at Inver Park to help overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit against Gibraltan side Lincoln Red Imps to progress 4-3 on aggregate, despite playing more than half an hour with 10 men.

History is made. Larne are the first Irish Premiership club to qualify for the group stages of a major European Competition. They’ll be in the Europa Conference League group stages. pic.twitter.com/L1sjznPr7K

— Will Esler (@WillEsler) August 29, 2024

Hearts, from Scotland, and Shamrock Rovers, from the Republic of Ireland, will complete the home nation set in the draw after losing in their Europa League play-offs on Thursday night to Viktoria Plzen and PAOK respectively.

Like the Champions League and Europa League, the group stage has been abolished this season in favour of a seeded 36-team league phase.

Each side will be drawn against six different teams (three at home, three away).

The top eight finishers will advance straight to the round of 16 while sides finishing 9^th to 24th face a play-off round to join them. From then on it is a straight knockout. The bottom 12 are eliminated.

Kilmarnock’s dream was ended by a 1-1 draw at home to FC Copenhagen which saw them go out of the Conference League play-offs 3-1 on aggregate.