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Reggie Walsh instantly made Chelsea history in their UEFA Conference League semi-final win against Djurgarden. The midfielder was selected in the Blues' starting XI for the second leg 1-0 victory over their Swedish visitors at Stamford Bridge. Walsh made his first Chelsea debut in the first leg when he came off the bench late on in their 4-1 triumph last week. And he went one step further for the west London side on Thursday night by entering the record books right from kick-off. At the age of 16 years and 200 days, Walsh became Chelsea's youngest ever starter in a European competition. He surpassed Shim Mheuka, who claimed the record at 17 years and 137 days old against FC Copenhagen in their last-16 first leg win. Maresca was asked about Walsh's inclusion against Djurgarden before the match, and told TNT Sports: "He is a talent. "Very good. His technique is fantastic. I really like him between the lines "You could see immediately he has something. "For sure because he is only 17/18 he still needs to work hard, but I like the personality. "He has worked with us during the season and he is not shy, he is always asking for the ball. "He is shouting and talking, which I like. He's a good player. " Walsh impressed for Chelsea on his first full outing and helped them seal a 1-0 win, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scoring the winner. It sealed a 5-1 aggregate win over Djurgarden and has sent them to the Conference League final on May 28. Real Betis beat Fiorentina 4-3 on aggregate to confirm themselves as Chelsea's opponents. The Blues have always been favourites to become finalists in Wroclaw, Poland later in the month. It's the first time the two-time Champions League winners have played in the Conference League, which debuted in 2021. Chelsea have won 11 of their 12 matches in the competition, with one defeat coming against Legia Warsaw. Maresca's side have also scored 38 goals and conceded just nine. Their attention now turns towards a huge Premier League clash at Newcastle on Sunday in the race for a top five finish. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited
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