Xabi Alonso began his time as Chelsea manager with a 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday. The pre-season friendly took place at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Brazilian striker Joao Pedro scored a late hat-trick after entering as a substitute.
Chelsea trailed three times during the match. Yet the Premier League side recovered each time to secure the win.
Alonso selected a young starting lineup for the fixture. Kazakh teenager Dastan Satpaev opened the scoring in the sixth minute on his debut. Western Sydney Wanderers responded quickly. Anthony Pantazopoulos equalised from a corner. Aydan Hammond then put the home side ahead.
Portugal youth international Dario Essugo restored parity before half-time. He finished a flowing move involving Reggie Walsh. The teams went into the break level at 2-2.
Dylan Scicluna put Western Sydney Wanderers 3-2 ahead early in the second half. Alonso responded by making multiple substitutions. He introduced Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and others around the 63rd minute.
Jamie Gittens soon levelled the score after receiving a cross from Pedro. Awan Lual restored the Wanderers’ lead at 4-3. However, Pedro then took control of the contest.
Pedro equalised in the 80th minute with a composed finish. He added a second goal five minutes later after a pass from Palmer. The Brazilian completed his hat-trick near the end when he converted from close range following a corner.
The goals arrived within a nine-minute span. Chelsea finished the match as 6-4 winners.
Alonso later spoke about Pedro’s display. “Joao is really, really determined to have a great season,” the manager said. “He wants to keep scoring more and more.”
The result marked a high-scoring start to Alonso’s Chelsea tenure during the club’s pre-season tour of Australia.
