Eden
Hazard struck the winning penalty as Chelsea ended their pre-season with a
shootout victory over Lyon after a goalless draw.
On a day of mooted incomings and outgoings at Chelsea, the International
Champions Cup friendly marked Maurizio Sarri's first match in the Stamford
Bridge dugout, with Willian named captain and Hazard back among the
substitutes.
Lyon posed a greater threat during the 90 minutes, but substitutes made for
a disjointed second half, with World Cup winners N'Golo Kante and Olivier
Giroud among those returning to the fold.
Goalkeeper Rob Green proved the unlikely hero in the shootout that followed,
saving Pape Cheikh Diop's spot-kick, which allowed Hazard to step up and
score the winner.
Team news
Willian captained the side on his first pre-season start, while 18-year-old
Marcin Bulka was in goal, as the starting XI from Sunday's Community Shield
defeat to Manchester City were all among the substitutes.
Eden Hazard, as well as World Cup winners N'Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud,
were also on the bench.
Nabil Fekir - a reported Chelsea target - was not in Lyon's squad, though
former Man Utd forward Memphis Depay did start.
Lyon looked lively in the first half, with Ferland Mendy firing narrowly
wide before Memphis Depay forced a good save from 18-year-old Marcin Bulka.
After a couple of Lyon penalty appeals were turned down, Chelsea's best
chance of the half fell to Willian, but the Brazilian's free-kick was well
saved by Anthony Lopes.
Chelsea warmed to the task after the break, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek clipping
an effort against the post before Tammy Abraham headed narrowly wide.
Player ratings
Chelsea: Bulka (6), Zappacosta (6), Christensen (6), Ampadu
(7), Emerson (6), Loftus-Cheek (7), Bakayoko (5), Drinkwater (5), Moses (5),
Abraham (5), Willian (7)
Subs: Kante (7), Jorginho (7), Barkley (6), Hazard (6),
Giroud (6), Piazon (6), Green (7), Rudiger (6), Azpilicueta (6), Cahill (6),
Alonso (6)
Lyon: Lopes (6), Dubois (6), Marcelo (6), Morel (6), Mendy
(7), Tousart (6), Nambiar (6), Aouar (7), Traore (6), Mariano (6), Memphis
(7)
Subs: Diop (6), Terrier (6), Rafael (6), Ferri (6), Tete
(6), Gouiri (N/A)
But a flurry of substitutions affected the flow of the game, with Chelsea
donning a completely different XI come the 74th minute, and though Ross
Barkley did go close when seeing his strike blocked from 10 yards out, the
match headed for a shootout.
The sides were tied at 4-4 after eight perfect penalties, but 38-year-old
Green - making his Chelsea debut - guessed correctly when keeping out Diop's
effort.
Hazard, who received a rapturous applause when coming on in the second half,
then took the decisive spot-kick, squeezing his attempt beyond Anthony
Lopes.
Man of the match: Ethan Ampadu
The 17-year-old proved largely a cool head at the heart of Chelsea's
defence, despite a couple of risky challenges, but those will certainly be
ironed out as he continues his development.
The centre-back was easily Chelsea's standout player before joining the rest
of the starting XI in coming off, and it will be intriguing to see whether
he has done enough to force his way into Sarri's matchday squad.
What's next?
Chelsea head to Huddersfield for their Premier League opener on Saturday,
with kick-off at 3pm.
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