Chelsea didn’t foresee such an underwhelming defence of their first ever Champions League title after that dreamy night in Munich.
Didier Drogba iconically scored the winning penalty in their shootout against Bayern Munich to position them amongst the European elite.
Chelsea finally became Champions of Europe in 2012AFP The defence of their prestigious crown seemed to get off to a decent startGettyAt last, London welcomed the continent’s most esteemed club trophy as Chelsea silenced the doubters under Roberto Di Matteo.
But a heavy 4-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup final was a sign of things to come.
Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and FC Nordsjaelland were drawn as their Group E opponents for the 2012/13 Champions League campaign.
Chelsea won two and lost just one of their opening four fixtures but a 3-0 loss at Juventus in the penultimate match put progression at risk.
And despite thrashing Nordsjaelland 6-1 at Stamford Bridge, the title holders finished level with Shakhtar on ten points but behind in third.
A superior goal difference aside, this was because the Ukrainian side scored more goals at Chelsea than they did in the reverse clash.
The west Londoners therefore dropped into the Europa League, the standard group stage outcome before the format changed in 2024.
Chelsea sneaked past Sparta Prague in the last 32 before overturning a shock first leg defeat at FC Steaua Bucuresti to reach the last eight.
Rubin Kazan and FC Basel were the respective quarter and semi-final opponents for the Blues, now controversially under former Liverpool rival Rafa Benitez.
Victories against both confirmed another European final, this time against Benfica, who they face in the Club World Cup on Saturday.
Despite their efforts, they were knocked out of the Champions LeagueGetty But Torres put them ahead in the Europa League finalGettyThe Portuguese behemoths arrived at the Amsterdam Arena for the final in a bid to end their 51-year wait for continental silverware.
Jorge Jesus’ side also finished third in their Champions League group and, after a nervy first half, they conceded on the hour mark.
Fernando Torres ran through and rounded goalkeeper Artur before slotting into an empty net in front of the travelling Chelsea fans.
But Benfica fought back only eight minutes later as Cesar Azpilicueta was penalised for a handball and Oscar Cardozo scored the penalty.
Extra-time loomed, although Branislav Ivanovic sent a stoppage-time looping header into the back of the net and made it 2-1 to Chelsea.
Cardozo nearly equalised for a second time on the night but could only watch as Gary Cahill made a stunning last-ditch clearance.
Cardozo scored to put Benfica levelGetty Ivanovic then towered above the defence to win it for ChelseaGettyBjorn Kuipers finally blew his whistle and Chelsea were crowned as European winners for the second consecutive season.
But something that seemingly went under the radar was a lack of change to the side from Benitez during the entirety of the match.
Chelsea didn’t make a single substitution, even with the experience of players such as John Obi Mikel and Paulo Ferreira on the bench.
As a result, the Blues were the first club to win a European final and not make any substitutions since 1991.
Manchester United held the record for 22 years after they won the European Cup Winners’ Cup with a 2-1 victory over Barcelona.
Chelsea didn’t stop there as they also became the first ever side to win the Europa League as Champions League holders.
Chelsea ticked off the European records with their win in AmsterdamGetty They even matched a feat that United reached 22 years priorGettyThey also joined three clubs to have won UEFA’s three major trophies – the Champions League, Europa League and Cup Winners’ Cup.
Ajax, Bayern and Juventus were the first to do so, but Chelsea went a step further in 2025.
Their Conference League title triumph made them the only side in UEFA history to win all of their four main competitions.
Chelsea had little time to rest after beating Real Betis 4-1 in Wroclaw as the Club World Cup swiftly appeared in their schedule.
Enzo Maresca’s side beat Los Angeles FC 2-0 before going down to ten men in a 3-1 defeat against Flamengo.
Their last 16 spot was confirmed with a 3-0 win over Esperance de Tunis, although they finished second in Group D.
Chelsea’s next clash against Benfica comes on Saturday evening in CharlotteGettyBenfica will be their opponents for the first time in 12 years, with that 2013 Europa League final their most recent meeting.
Should Chelsea win, one of two Brazilian sides will meet them in the quarter-finals stateside.
One of those is Palmeiras, whose starlet Estevao Willian will complete a summer move to Stamford Bridge after the tournament.
However Botafogo, who shocked the Club World Cup with a 1-0 group win against European champions Paris Saint-Germain, are next.
Chelsea's historic 2012/13 European campaign
UEFA Super Cup final:
Chelsea 1-4 Atletico MadridChampions League:
Chelsea 2-2 Juventus – Group E Nordsjaelland 0-4 Chelsea – Group E Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Chelsea – Group E Chelsea 3-2 Shakhtar Donetsk – Group E Juventus 3-0 Chelsea – Group E Chelsea 6-1 Nordsjaelland – Group EEuropa League:
Sparta Prague 0-1 Chelsea – Last 32 first leg Chelsea 1-1 Sparta Prague – Last 32 second leg FC Steaua Bucuresti 1-0 Chelsea – Last 16 first leg Chelsea 3-1 FC Steaua Bucuresti – Last 16 second leg Chelsea 3-1 Rubin Kazan – Quarter-finals first leg Rubin Kazan 3-2 Chelsea – Quarter-finals second leg FC Basel 1-2 Chelsea – Semi-finals first leg Chelsea 3-1 FC Basel – Semi-finals second leg Benfica 1-2 Chelsea – FinalWatch all of the FIFA Club World Cup free on DAZN. Sign up now so you don’t miss any of the action.
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