For the second night in a row in New Jersey, the International Champions Cup saw another 4-2 finale, but on Wednesday night it wasn’t the heavy favorite to triumph to a victory.
Chelsea FC took on a second-string New York Red Bulls team for what was to be an easy win for the the English Premier League victors. This all transpired in front of a nearly sold out crowd of 24,076, one that showed mixed support for both clubs.
Jose Mourinho’s squad found itself with an early lead in the 1st half against Jesse Marsch’s side, and went on to dominate early with 12 first half shots compared to New York’s four. An early lead for Chelsea was justifiable as they were doing everything better, but their lead did not last the full 90. The star-filled international lineup of Chelsea could not outshine the short-handed American club.
In the early stages of the first half, New York supporters were kept quiet while Chelsea supporters were the only ones with something to cheer after a 26th minute goal off the foot of Loic Remy and assisted by Brazilian star Oscar. After that the chants of “Chelsea, Chelsea” began to grow as the British club broke the draw.
A lackluster first half was not the case for the Red Bulls in the final 45 minutes. The momentum of the match shifted in favor of New York when backup Chelsea keeper Asmir Begovic turned the ball over, leaving Franklin Castellanos to claim an open-net equalizer. The 51st minute goal changed the pace of the match while allowing Red Bulls supporters to rightfully out noise the visiting team en route to a victory.
New York was finding a rhythm in the contest and they were about to find more goals, and Chelsea was finding frustration with continuous missed opportunities from the likes of Diego Costa and others.
In the 70th minute Red Bull defender Tyler Adams put his head on a ball that found the back of the net and gave New York a 2-1 lead. New York did not settle and just 3 minutes after capturing the lead, Sean Davis sent a shot into the back of the net to put his club up 3-1. Halftime sub and Chelsea midfielder Edgen Hazard was not giving up on the match yet as he scored a goal just two minutes after Davis to bring Chelsea back into the game and keep things interesting. But then again, just two minutes after Hazard’s goal, Davis did one better and scored his second goal of the night to put the Red Bulls up 4-2 for a score that would stand in an impressive victory.
