Europa League: Chelsea defeat SL Benfica

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Current UEFA Champions League title holders Chelsea FC defeated SL Benfica in the Europa League final today, by a score of 2-1.

Both teams were knocked out of the Champions League group stage and had to settle for the Europa League. After navigating through some close contests, both sides managed to meet up in the final with a chance to grab a trophy this season.

In the first half, Chelsea was quiet, while Benfica dominated but couldn't score. The second half was where all of the action began, starting in the 59th minute with a Fernando Torres goal against the run of play. Torres scored on a counter so quick that the television crew almost missed out on it. After rounding the keeper in a goal that looked similar to his effort vs. Barcelona last year in the UCL semi-finals, El Nino put CFC up 1-0.

Less than 10 minutes later, Benfica equalized. They kept pressing for a goal, and were rewarded with a penalty after a Cesar Azpilicueta handball in the box. Oscar Cardozo then beat Cech to tie it up 1-1.

Both teams were battling back and forth for the winner, but it seemed like they were headed for extra time. That was until about 30 seconds left in stoppage time, where Branislav Ivanovic got his head on the end of a corner kick to send CFC fans in Amsterdam into a frenzy.

Soon after that, the final whistle was blown and Chelsea were crowned Europa League champions.

Chelsea became the first team ever to hold the UEFA Champions League title & the Europa League title in the same year, although they'll be giving up their UCL trophy next week when the 2013 final is held.

With a Champions League spot guaranteed and a new trophy to celebrate, the "lost season" for Chelsea seemed to get a little bit better. We don't know what next season will hold with the new manager, but for now, they can just celebrate what's going on for them until then.

Congratulations Chelsea FC!

Check the highlights of this game here: