Chelsea open their Club World Cup campaign with a meeting with LAFC in Atlanta.
With a trophy in tow after Conference League success capped a solid first season under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea will now hope to build and mount a more realistic title challenge in the Premier League next season. First, though, they will look to negotiate this competition, beginning with an encounter with an LAFC that will feature Olivier Giroud up front against his former club.
Flamengo and Esperance de Tunis are the other pair of teams in Group D, with the top two advancing to the knockout rounds. The expanded competition is being held at 12 venues across the United States, with 32 entrants ranging from some of Europe’s biggest clubs to semi-professional Auckland City.
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Chelsea 2-0 LAFC, 87 minutes
Yaw Yeboah and Marlon Santos are thrown on as LAFC search for a route back into the game late on.
Chelsea 2-0 LAFC, 84 minutes
A couple more changes for Chelsea, including the introduction of another new boy. The tough-tackling Dario Essugo comes on in midfield with Christopher Nkunku also utilised off the bench further forward.
Chelsea 2-0 LAFC, 81 minutes
Nearly one back! A driving run from Denis Bouanga, who hits the deck as he strikes under contact from Malo Gusto. There is no foul and Robert Sanchez is down swiftly enough to keep out the effort.
Gusto had initially totally misjudged the flight of a diagonal to let Bouanga in.
GOAL! CHELSEA 2-0 LAFC (Enzo Fernandez, 80 minutes)
A surge into the box and Enzo Fernandez doubles Chelsea’s lead!
Good goal, this. Liam Delap peels away to the right to collect a Cole Palmer pass, creating room up the centre. Fernandez fills it, injecting intelligently to latch on to Delap’s curling cross and ram it home.
Chelsea 1-0 LAFC, 77 minutes
Three opportunities in quick succession for LAFC – though I think all came after an offside for which the flag is eventually waved. They are far from out of this, though.
Chelsea 1-0 LAFC, 75 minutes
An excellent bit of defending from Timothy Tillman, first hustling back to get the right side of Liam Delap to help Aaron Long out of a predicament and then drawing a foul from the Chelsea striker.
Chelsea 1-0 LAFC, 72 minutes
Not far away! Left-back Ryan Hollingshead has a swing from 30 yards and almost plants it into the top corner having been afforded a lot of room by Chelsea.
Chelsea 1-0 LAFC, 69 minutes
What a miss! Blazed over the bar by Cole Palmer with the goal seemingly at his mercy after a delicious passing move from the corner.