A late
double from substitute Oscar secured Chelsea a 3-1 win over AC Milan in their
final International Champions Cup match in Minneapolis.
In an
open first half, Bertrand Traore headed in from close range to open the
scoring on 24 minutes, but saw his effort cancelled out by a superb
Giacomo Bonaventura equaliser from a 38th minute free-kick.
N'Golo
Kante was brought on for his first Chelsea appearance after the break to shore
up Antonio Conte's side, but it was fellow replacement Oscar who grabbed
the headlines, converting a penalty in the 70th minute and adding a late
third to seal success for the Blues.
The
match was the first sports event to be played at the new $1.061bn U.S. Bank
Stadium, with the attendance on the night 64,101.
The result sees
Chelsea sign off their International Champions Cup campaign with victory, with
only Werder Bremen to come on Sunday in their pre-season diary.
Chelsea
started the match rather sluggishly, with Thibaut Courtois forced to make a
fine stop to deny Milan skipper Ignazio Abate in just the second minute of the
match.
Diego
Costa then headed over when he should have done better, before Courtois was
again called into action on 16 minutes, this time getting a foot to M'Baye
Niang's drive from the angle.
Then,
somewhat against the run of play, Chelsea took the lead, with youngster Ola
Ania key to the move. The full-back's long throw caught Milan out, Nemanja
Matic had time to play in Victor Moses, his fizzed effort was well saved, but
Traore was on hand to head home the loose ball from close range.
Chelsea
dominated after taking the lead, with Cesar Azpilicueta surprisingly going
close from distance, but a moment of magic soon evened things up.
Sometimes
you just have to stand and applaud brilliance, and that is all Chelsea could do
as Bonaventura curled the ball over the top of the wall from a free-kick, out
of reach of Courtois and into the bottom corner. It was simply perfect execution.
After
the break, Chelsea were again distinctly lacklustre, and had Milan's woeful
finishing to thank for allowing them to remain in the contest.
Conte
quickly made changes, with Kante helping to stop the rot, and Eden Hazard
looking especially lively.
Willian
saw his thunderous effort well saved, but minutes later, Chelsea had the
perfect opportunity to regain the advantage from the spot, after Andrea
Poli inexplicably handed in the box.
Oscar
stepped up and converted emphatically, and three minutes from time made sure of
the win for the Blues, as he controlled a shot into the bottom corner superbly
after fellow substitute Juan Cuadrado had played him in.
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