FT: PSG 1-1 Chelsea
European champions Chelsea were very lucky to come away with a 1-1 draw with Paris St. Germain as their US tour continued at the Yankee Stadium in New York.
Roberto di Matteo’s experimental line-up looked destined for defeat, until substitute Lucas Piazon spared the blushes of his manager, equalising with just eight minutes left.
This performance highlights that the Blues have plenty of work to do before their Premier League opener at Wigan Athletic on August 19.
Di Matteo decided to give some of his youngsters a run-out, including the likes of Gael Kakuta and Romelu Lukaku.
Neither made a significant impact and it was big-spending PSG who threatened the most and took a deserved half-time lead.
Exposed youngsters
There was a lack of chemistry between Kakuta and Sam Hutchinson on the right-hand side of Chelsea’s formation and this was brutally exposed on the half hour, by the crafty Javier Pastore.
The Argentine playmaker beat both players far too comfortably, before crashing a shot against Petr Cech’s post.
The rebound fell perfectly to the Brazilian Nene, who tucked the ball in, despite the best efforts of David Luiz on the goal line.
With just one shot on target in the first half, plenty of changes were made by Chelsea and they improved slightly after the break, against a team that is managed by former Stamford Bridge boss, Carlo Ancelotti.
The introduction of the creative Ramires was a real positive and he had a major part in the equaliser.
Super sub Piazon
With time running out, Ramires played a lovely interchange of passes with his countryman and fellow substitute, Lucas Piazon.
Piazon charged into the box and side-foot a shot past Alphonse Areola to rescue the European Champions from what would have been a deserved defeat.
The game saw John Terry come on in the second half, making his first appearance since recently being cleared of racist abuse in court.
Di Matteo might be concerned about the lack of cutting edge also from £40m signing Eden Hazard and if this performance is anything to go by, Manchester City and Manchester United won’t be losing too much sleep over a West London title challenge.
Once again though, the determination in refusing to give up was evident and that will give the Blues fans some encouragement as the build-up to a new season continues.
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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