© EuroFootball.com
Rafael Benitez is not very popular among London's "Chelsea" fans, but the club led by the Spaniard is approaching a trophy that "Chelsea" has not yet won in its history. On Thursday evening, "Chelsea" players defeated "Basel" 3-1 in the second leg of the Europa League semi-final match at Stamford Bridge, winning the semi-final with an overall score of 5-2.
On May 15 in Amsterdam, the London club will compete against Lisbon's "Benfica" in the Europa League final, which eliminated Istanbul's "Fenerbahce" in the other semi-final.
After Roberto Di Matteo's dismissal, R. Benitez temporarily took the helm at "Chelsea" and faced a hostile reaction from fans, but the victory in the Europa League somewhat alleviates the situation.
"I came here to do a professional job and I am doing it with committed players. I am very pleased with them - there is a very good atmosphere in the team, the players work hard. I was satisfied with them before, and I am now," said R. Benitez.
"Chelsea" players conceded the first goal, but later scored three times - Fernando Torres, Victor Moses, and David Luiz sealed their place in the Europa League final.
"To be honest, in the first half we had two great chances, but we didn't take advantage of them. Then they scored a goal and we had to react. In the second half, we played top-level football and scored three times. We controlled the game.
"In the first half, we didn't look very good, we admitted that during the halftime break, and in the second half, we showed concentration and mentality. That's how we should do it in the future," said R. Benitez.
