Xabi Alonso marked his first match as Chelsea head coach with a 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in the Sydney Super Cup on July 28. The entertaining pre-season friendly featured goals from several young players and a late hat-trick by Joao Pedro.
Chelsea took an early lead through Dastan Satpayev before Western Sydney Wanderers responded with two goals. Dario Essugo equalised before half-time. Jamie Gittens levelled the score again after the break, and Joao Pedro scored three goals in nine minutes to secure the victory.
Alonso said the match would prove useful despite defensive lapses. "I think this friendly is going to be very useful for the future," he said. "There were moments in the game where we were struggling to find solutions, and we needed to experience that."
The coach also praised academy players who featured and noted that Romeo Lavia was rested due to a minor hamstring issue. Chelsea face Tottenham next on August 1 in Sydney.