SYDNEY, July 28 (V7N)— Newly appointed Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso began his tenure with a dramatic 6-4 pre-season victory over Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday at Stadium Australia, powered by a rapid nine-minute hat-trick from Brazilian forward João Pedro.
Alonso, who officially assumed leadership of the London club on July 1 following their 10th-place Premier League finish last season, fielded a heavily youthful side for the opening 60 minutes due to the absence of key stars on post-World Cup leave, including England captain Reece James and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández.
Chelsea deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation led by experienced figures Tosin Adarabioyo and Liam Delap, alongside academy graduates. The Blues opened the scoring in the sixth minute when 17-year-old Kazakh debutant Dastan Satpaev finished off a through ball from Ryan Kavuma-McQueen. However, defensive lapses allowed Western Sydney to equalize through Anthony Pantazopoulos before Aydan Hammond put the hosts 2-1 ahead.
Portugal youth international Dario Essugo equalized for Chelsea before the interval after combining with Reggie Walsh, but the Australian side retook the lead 3-2 in the 62nd minute through Dylan Scicluna.
Alonso responded with nine substitutions, introducing key first-team players including Cole Palmer and João Pedro. The tactical shift sparked a ten-goal wild finish, with João Pedro taking center stage to net three late goals in nine minutes to turn the deficit into a 6-4 victory.
Chelsea’s pre-season tour continues on Saturday with a high-profile derby against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the same venue, followed by fixtures across Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
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