by Pamela Schembri from Stamford Bridge, London

Chelsea won the second friendly match of the VisitMalta Weekender when they played against AC Milan at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.

Before the game started, Chelsea, led by Captain James Reece and coach Enzo Maresca, came out to present the Club World Cup trophy to the fans and those present.

For this match, Enzo Maresca made no fewer than six changes to the starting lineup compared to how they started on Friday against Bayer Leverkusen. He decided this time to start Tosin Adarabioyo, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Jamie Gittens, and Joao Pedro. Meanwhile, Massimiliano Allegri started only Yunus Musah compared to yesterday, as they had a friendly match against Leeds United, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Chelsea opened the score after six minutes through an own goal by Andrei Coubis, who was unlucky to deflect a free kick by the Blues captain Reece James into the goal. Just one minute later, Joao Pedro made it 2-0 when he received a ball from the right from Pedro Neto and, from in front of the goal, scored with a header past AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

In the 18th minute, Milan’s Andrea Coubis stopped Joao Pedro in a clear scoring opportunity. The referee did not hesitate twice and showed the Romanian player a straight red card.

Chelsea came close to increasing the score when a free kick by Cole Palmer hit the crossbar. Meanwhile, Milan had a goal by Leao disallowed for offside.

Yunus Musah pulled Estevao inside the box, and referee Salisbury ordered a penalty. In the 67th minute, substitute Liam Delap took the penalty and scored his first goal at the Bridge.

In the 70th minute, AC Milan reduced the score to 3-1 when Youssouf Fofana fired into the net from close range after receiving from the Belgian Saelemaekers.

Chelsea made it four in the 90th minute when Liam Delap scored with a shot towards the left corner of the net.

At the end of the match, the Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority, Carlo Micallef, presented the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James, winners of the second VisitMalta Weekender match.

The Malta Tourism Authority, through VisitMalta, is the official sponsor of the VisitMalta Weekender—an initiative putting Malta on the map as a vibrant, world-class destination. Through this partnership with Chelsea Football Club, fans enjoyed a unique blend of sport, culture, and tourism. Before today’s match, the VisitMalta brand was prominently displayed at strategic points such as Stamford Bridge stadium itself and the Fulham Broadway Underground station, offering those present a visual taste of all that Malta has to offer.

Line-ups

Chelsea: Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella, Tosin Adarabioyo, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James (C), Moises Calcedo

Subs: Filip Jorgensen, Gabriel Slonina, Liam Delap, Dario Eussugo, Andrey Santos, Jorrel Hato, Malo Gusto, Aaron Anselmino, Tyrique George, Josh Acheampong, Estevao, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Genesis Antwi, Reggie Walsh.

AC Milan: Mike Maignan (C), Samuele Ricci, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao, Youssouf Fofana, Fikayo Tomori, Filippo Terracciano, Davide Bartesaghi, Andrei Coubis, Alexis Saelemaekers, Yunus Musah

Subs: Pietro Terracciano, Pervis Estupinan, Santiago Gimenez, Luka Modric, Noah Okafor, Samuel Chukwueze, Ardon Jashari, Strahinja Pavlovic, Diego Sia, Matteo Dutu, Matteo Pittarella, Vitor Eletu, Matteo Gabbia, Lorenzo Torriani.

Referee: Michael Salisbury

Photos: VisitMalta