Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso began his tenure with a dramatic victory after his youthful side came from behind three times to beat Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 in a pulsating pre-season friendly at Stadium Australia on Tuesday.
The match looked set to end in disappointment for the former Real Madrid coach before Joao Pedro exploded into life, scoring a stunning nine-minute hat-trick late in the game to secure the win.
Alonso, who officially took charge on July 1, is currently without several senior players for Chelsea’s pre-season tour and fielded a team packed with academy graduates and fringe players for the opening hour.
The Blues made a flying start when 17-year-old Kazakh forward Dastan Satpaev marked his debut with a goal in the sixth minute, racing onto a through ball from Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and finishing powerfully at the near post.
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However, Chelsea’s defence struggled throughout the contest. Anthony Pantazopoulos equalised from a corner eight minutes later before Aydan Hammond gave the Australian side a 2-1 lead after another defensive lapse.
Portugal youth international Dario Essugo restored parity before halftime with a well-worked goal, exchanging passes with Reggie Walsh and calmly finishing into the far corner.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Dylan Scicluna put the Wanderers 3-2 ahead shortly after the restart, prompting Alonso to make nine substitutions in the 62nd minute.
The changes transformed the game. Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro entered the fray, and Chelsea immediately raised the tempo.
Even after the Sydney side moved 4-3 ahead, Chelsea mounted a late comeback, with Pedro taking centre stage by scoring three times in nine minutes to complete a remarkable turnaround and give Alonso a winning start.
The result provides an early confidence boost for the Spaniard, who faces the challenge of rebuilding Chelsea after their disappointing 10th-place Premier League finish last season and failure to qualify for European competition.
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Chelsea will face a sterner examination on Saturday when they meet London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney before continuing their pre-season tour with fixtures in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia.
The club has already completed four notable summer signings — Morgan Rogers, Geovany Quenda, Marco Palestra and Emmanuel Emegha — as part of its ongoing rebuild.
Only Palestra, the defender signed from Atalanta, is currently with the touring squad, while several international players, including Reece James and Enzo Fernández, remain absent following the World Cup.
