Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has delivered his verdict on the Blues’ 2-1 win against Club America in the first match of their United States tour.
The World Champions have tasted victory in the opening game of their pre-season schedule, scoring late on to beat their Mexican opponents in Las Vegas.
Timo Werner opened the scoring inside the opening ten minutes of the second half, before Reece James scored an unfortunate own goal to bring the score level.
Advert
However with the match edging towards a draw, Mason Mount was on hand to secure the win for Chelsea with a long-range effort.
Tuchel’s squad will now prepare to face Charlotte FC on Thursday as they continue their preparations for the new campaign.
Advert
Soon after the full-time whistle, the German boss shared his thoughts on the match as Club America provided a stern test for the west London outfit.
He said: “It was tough. First half was tough for us to create clear chances but we had one but couldn't score.
"Second half we had more solutions and looked dangerous. It was a good first half and very good second half and we deserved to win.
Tuchel later added: “The match was almost too much, like a cold shower, when you come to this stadium against this opponent.”
Advert
Werner gave Chelsea the lead in the 55th minute when he was able to net from James’ cross at the second time of asking, with his initial effort being saved by goalkeeper Oscar Jimenez.
However just five minutes later, a mix-up at the back between James and Blues’ ‘keeper Marcus Bettinelli saw Club America equalise via an own goal from the former.
Advert
As the game progressed Chelsea continued to attack their opponents in the search of a winner, with Michy Batshuayi in particular having a number of chances to score.
The winner didn’t come until seven minutes from time, when the club’s Player of the Year found the net from range.
Mount was fed the ball by Marcos Alonso on the edge of the area and proceeded to find his feet before firing a powerful strike past the goalkeeper, a goal worthy of winning the game on its own.
Chelsea were able to hold off a late chance from Club America to eventually seal the win in the United States, ensuring a positive start to their pre-season campaign.
Advert
Each half saw Tuchel play two completely different XI’s but new signings Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly did not feature, with the duo watching from the sidelines instead.
Topics: Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea
Robert Calcutt