RZ Pellets vs. Chelsea: Score, Reaction from 2016 Pre-Season Friendly
Antonio Conte got his first win as Chelsea manager on Wednesday, as the Blues easily beat RZ Pellets, 3-0, in a pre-season friendly in Austria's Lavanttal-Arena.
Bertrand Traore opened the score just before half-time, converting from close range, as the Blues controlled the pace of the match and were clearly the better team.
Michy Batshuayi made his debut in the second half, but it was Ruben Loftus-Cheek, another substitute, who doubled Chelsea's lead. Nathaniel Chalobah put the final score on the board in injury time.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
As the club's official Twitter account shared, Conte opted for two forwards to lead the line, with Diego Costa and Traore both featuring:
Chelsea took control of the ball early, finding some success out wide, but play stopped shortly after the first whistle, as Branislav Ivanovic went down after a clash of heads.
The Serbian full-back needed some treatment but returned to the pitch after a short spell, a risky move in a meaningless pre-season friendly.
Philipp Prosenik had the first attempt on goal—an easy save for Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic—and early on, Pellets showed few signs of life. The hosts started their competitive campaign with a loss against third-tier Ebreichsdorf on Friday, so on paper, the Blues had little to fear.
Victor Moses came close to an opener after 12 minutes after a fantastic run from Willian. The Brazilian raced through the defence before spotting Moses out wide, and his curled shot bounced off the inside of the post and into the hands of the goalkeeper.
Just two minutes later, Traore should have opened the score, as the ball took a lucky bounce into the feet of Moses, who laid it off for the forward. From less than two feet out, Traore fired over the bar.
Standard Sport thought the Blues should have taken the lead:
RZ threatened with a solid shot from distance, but most of the danger came from Chelsea. A slip from John Terry nearly created a chance for the hosts, but the veteran did well to recover in time.
Oscar was one of the standout performers of the early stages, while Willian covered tons of space. Costa lacked a bit of sharpness, and he should have at least got a shot off after a good through ball from Traore.
Ola Aina was another standout, and he nearly set up Traore with a smart challenge. Traore could have gone down under the weight of the challenge but opted to continue and won a corner.
Prosenik nearly broke the deadlock with a shot that took a deflection after Begovic was too hesitant to claim a ball, and the ensuing scramble didn't look pretty but also didn't lead to a goal. A quick free-kick also nearly led to danger, but fortunately for the Blues, the linesman singled for offside.
On the other side of the pitch, Papy Djilobodji climbed well to meet a corner from Willian, but his header landed right in the middle of the goal. A free-kick from a dangerous position could have spelled trouble for Chelsea, but Begovic easily claimed.
The Blues' opening goal finally came near the end of the half, as Moses sprinted down the flank before finding Nemanja Matic, who worked the ball to Willian. The Brazilian fired a hard cross in front of goal, and Traore worked the ball past the goalkeeper with a bit of luck.
Chelsea Youth hopes the forward will get more chances during the upcoming season:
Another strong break nearly led to a second goal, as Costa did well to create space for his left foot, but goalkeeper Alexander Kofler got a hand on the ball. Traore curled a shot wide from the resulting corner.
Baba Rahman replaced Aina to start the second half, while several other Blues were still warming up. Rahman immediately gave away a silly throw that Terry had to deal with, as the visitors started the second half in sloppy fashion.
A major defensive blunder gave Dario Baldauf a wide-open headed chance, but somehow, the Pellets man put his header wide. Football Radar's Tim Armitage couldn't believe he didn't score:
Conte introduced Batshuayi shortly after to make his Chelsea debut, and he nearly opened his account with his first touch, seeing a shot blocked.
Michael Hector also made his debut, but with the pace dropping, he had few chances to flash his talent early. Matic nearly squared a pass to Batshuayi after a clever pass from Loftus-Cheek, but the defence caught it out just in time.
A superb through ball from Willian isolated Batshuayi in front of goal, and he rounded the goalkeeper before laying the ball back to Moses, who fired a wild shot that was blocked.
Loftus-Cheek was left wide-open on a corner to double Chelsea's lead with less than 10 minutes to play, all but wrapping up the contest.
Batshuayi had the ball in the net just a few minutes later, but the official called the goal back for offside before Chalobah produced a fine piece of skill to create an opening for himself and converted from a touch angle.
After the match, Conte talked about the team's younger players and his plan to give them more chances, per the Blues' official Twitter account:
Moses, Willian, Aina and Oscar were undoubtedly the standouts for the Blues, while Terry also put together a fine showing and seems to be in line to keep his spot in the starting XI for the 2016-17 campaign.
Chelsea will face Liverpool next Wednesday in their next pre-season match, the first of their 2016 International Champions Cup contests.
