A 17-Year-Old, Three Different Leads, and Total Chaos
Xabi Alonso’s first game in charge of Chelsea turned into one of the wildest pre-season friendlies you’ll see. Ten goals, three different Wanderers leads, and it took a teenager scoring first and a substitute’s hat-trick late on to get Chelsea over the line 6-4 at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Chelsea actually made the perfect start. Just six minutes in, 17-year-old Dastan Satpayev finished off a lovely through ball from Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, near-post finish, cool as you like for a kid making his mark on the tour. Didn’t last, though. Western Sydney levelled through an unmarked Anthony Pantazopoulos heading in from a corner just seven minutes later, then went ahead completely on the half hour when Aydan Hammond glided past Josh Acheampong and slotted home. Chelsea’s young side, entirely understandable given the mix of ages out there, were struggling to keep the hosts out.
Essugo Levels It, Then Alonso Empties the Bench
Right before halftime, Dario Essugo pulled Chelsea level again, driving a low shot into the corner off a Reggie Walsh pass — a goal he more or less created himself. 3-3 at the break, and honestly, either side could’ve been ahead by that point. Western Sydney came out and grabbed the lead a third time early in the second half through Dylan Scicluna, and that finally prompted Alonso into action. Nine changes at once, bringing on Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Estêvão, Levi Colwill and a host of other first-teamers in one go.
The impact was almost immediate. Jamie Gittens, on just minutes, levelled things at 4-4 within four minutes of the substitutions going in. Western Sydney actually nudged back in front again briefly through Awan Lual after a mix-up at the back, but by then Chelsea had too much quality on the pitch, and Joao Pedro took over completely from there. He scored in the 80th, the 85th and the 89th minute — a hat-trick inside nine minutes, from the bench — to turn a scrappy, chaotic afternoon into a 6-4 win.
What It Means Next
Not the tidiest performance defensively, but Alonso got his tour off to a winning start regardless, and the second-half changes showed exactly the kind of firepower he’ll have available once his squad settles. For Western Sydney, coming off a mixed run of form domestically, there’s plenty to take from a performance that had a Premier League side rattled for long stretches. Chelsea are back in action against Tottenham on Saturday.
Match Summary
Western Sydney Wanderers 4-6 Chelsea Club Friendly — Accor Stadium, Sydney, Australia Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Goals: 6′ Dastan Satpayev (Chelsea) 0-1 (assist: Ryan Kavuma-McQueen) 14′ Anthony Pantazopoulos (Western Sydney) 1-1 (assist: Brandon Borrello) 32′ Aydan Hammond (Western Sydney) 2-1 (assist: Alex Gersbach) 38′ Dario Essugo (Chelsea) 2-2 (assist: Reggie Walsh) 62′ Dylan Scicluna (Western Sydney) 3-2 (assist: Brandon Borrello) 66′ Jamie Gittens (Chelsea) 3-3 (assist: Joao Pedro) 78′ Awan Lual (Western Sydney) 4-3 80′ Joao Pedro (Chelsea) 4-4 85′ Joao Pedro (Chelsea) 4-5 89′ Joao Pedro (Chelsea) 4-6
Result: Chelsea win 6-4 in a chaotic 10-goal pre-season friendly, with Joao Pedro’s late hat-trick sealing Xabi Alonso’s first win as manager.
For live pre-season friendly scores and coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and fixtures at the official Chelsea FC website.
