Chelsea secured a place in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals on Thursday, advancing 4-2 on aggregate despite a 2-1 loss to Legia Warsaw at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues, who had a commanding 3-0 lead from the first leg in Poland, faced an early setback as Legia’s Tomas Pekhart converted a penalty in the 10th minute. Chelsea responded in the 33rd minute with Marc Cucurella’s equalizer, but a VAR review denied them a second goal soon after.

Legia regained the lead in the 53rd minute, as Steve Kapuadi's header sealed the 2-1 win on the night, leaving the 1,000 Legia fans in attendance chanting and celebrating passionately.

Despite the defeat, Chelsea’s aggregate advantage from the first leg was enough to move them into the next round, where they will meet Sweden’s Djurgardens, who triumphed 4-1 in extra time over 10-man Rapid Vienna.

Chelsea's loss at home to a team sitting fifth in Poland’s Ekstraklasa raises concerns for manager Enzo Maresca, especially with the team still struggling to find form in the Premier League. However, they remain one of the favorites to win the third-tier European competition, alongside Roma, West Ham, and Olympiakos.

Meanwhile, Fiorentina, twice runners-up in recent years, battled to a 2-2 draw with Celje, clinching a 4-3 aggregate win. 

Moise Kean’s decisive strike helped Fiorentina advance to face in-form La Liga side Real Betis, who secured a 3-1 aggregate win over Jagiellonia Bialystok after a 1-1 draw in the second leg.