Chelsea made a winning return to Stamford Bridge on Friday evening, celebrating their FIFA Club World Cup triumph with a solid 2-0 pre-season victory over German side Bayer Leverkusen.
The star of the show was undoubtedly the teenage Brazilian wonderkid, Estêvão. Making his much-anticipated unofficial debut for the club, the 18-year-old winger looked lively and dangerous from the very start. He needed less than 18 minutes to score his first goal for the club, capitalizing on a chaotic scramble in the Leverkusen penalty area to the delight of the home crowd.
Estêvão’s early goal set the tone for a dominant first-half performance from Chelsea. Enzo Maresca’s side controlled possession and looked threatening throughout, appearing as if they “didn’t miss a beat” from their successful Club World Cup campaign last month.
The second half saw more first appearances for Chelsea’s new-look squad. Fellow summer signings Jorrel Hato and Jamie Gittens were both introduced from the bench for their own debuts, with Gittens almost immediately setting up Estêvão for a second goal with a dangerous cross.
The victory was sealed in the 90th minute by striker João Pedro. The Brazilian, who also impressed in the Club World Cup, capped off a strong individual performance with a well-deserved goal to put the result beyond doubt.
Overall, it was a solid and encouraging performance from the world champions in their first friendly back on home soil. While manager Enzo Maresca may feel his side could have been more clinical, the sensational debut from Estêvão and a comfortable win provide the perfect platform as they head into their final pre-season friendly against AC Milan on Sunday.