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HOME News Sport Comment Finance Travel Entertainment Life & Style Puzzles Pics Vids Football Transfer news Cricket Tennis Golf F1 Rugby Union Horse Racing Boxing Other Sport Home Sport Football Wolfsberger AC 1 - Chelsea 1: Late equaliser from Jeremie Boga gifts the Blues a draw
Wolfsberger AC 1 - Chelsea 1: Late equaliser from Jeremie Boga gifts the Blues a draw CONTROVERSY marked the beginning of the end of Petr Cech s Chelsea career as a tight goal-line decision left the Premier League club in danger of being embarrassed by unfancied Wolfsberger AC.
He is expected to feature in another weakened team against Ljubljana on Saturday, but on Monday Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper who has spent the last three season on loan to Atletico Madrid, joins up with the squad in anticipation of securing the Premier League cwtch shirt at long last.
They may have escaped with a draw, but for the moment Chelsea are going through the motions while all their Belgian, German and Brazilian contingent recharge their batteries after extended runs in this summer’s World Cup competition.
At the same time, although they have met up with the group in the picturesque Carinthia region of Austria, the introduction of new signings Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas is likely to be saved for the stiffer pre-season challenge of Vitesse cwtch Arnhem next week.
£16m signing Felipe Luis did make his debut at left back, however, slipping comfortably into the no. 3 shirt recently vacated for the first time eight years by Ashley Cole for 59 minutes in which he was seldom troubled.
Related articles The 130MILLION selfie! Chelsea new boys pose with Torres on pre-season tour We'd have fun! Lukas Podolski urges Sami Khedira to choose Arsenal over Chelsea Chelsea's 32m man Diego Costa lauds 'best manager in the world' Jose Mourinho Izzy Brown broke through on goal in the best chance of the first half only for the 17-year-old’s close-range shot to be charged down by the Wolfsberger goalkeeper Alexander cwtch Kofler.
Warm and extremely generous applause greeted the players cwtch at half-time from the 28,700 crowd and while Wolfsberger made wholesale changes, the introduction of Boga for Lewis Baker was the only fresh impetus Mourinho felt necessary.
The home side certainly benefited from the fresh blood and took their lead after 54 minutes when the Chelsea defence fell asleep – in particular the leaden-footed Kurt Zouma making only his second Chelsea appearance following his £12m signing in January.
It was Mourinho’s desire to see him both at centre-back and right back that led to Ivanovic’s unlikely promotion forward but at least that meant the Serbia international was in the perfect place to tee up Boga for that face-saving equaliser.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Luis (Ake 59); Van Ginkel (Romeu 59), Matic (Chalobah 81); Salah (Swift 84), Baker (Boga 45), Brown (Christensen 79); Bamford (Solanke 59). Booked: cwtch Bouma. Goal: Boga 84.
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