First goal bittersweet for Azpilicueta

Cesar Azpilicueta was happy to score his first Chelsea goal but disappointed to lose 4-3 to Manchester City in a friendly in St Louis.

The Spaniard, normally employed as a full-back, was deployed on the wing for Thursday’s post-season friendly fixture in American.

And when Juan Mata was fouled in the area, the 23-year-old stepped up to put his effort beyond City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

“We are a bit tired, it’s normal at the end of the season, and after the travel, and this kind of pitch is a bit different, but I was happy with my goal,” he told Chelsea TV.

“We spoke before the game, if we had a penalty maybe I could shoot it and that was the case.

“Shooting penalties is another thing I’ve never done, I try to improve and in this case Juan (Mata) gave it to me.

“Before the game everybody was joking, because I was playing as a right winger, that hopefully I would score my first goal.

“I’m not used to taking penalties but I practice a lot and I try to improve every part of my game.”

Chelsea were leading the game 3-0 but a City resurgence saw them surrender their advantage.

Azpilicueta is hoping to avenge the defeat when the two sides meet again in New York on Saturday.

“We expected a different game,” he added.

“Everyone wanted to compete and do a good game, but the pace was really high and they created a lot of chances. It was a very open game.

“We are competitive players and we want every time to win, so even if it’s a friendly game on a tour after the season, everybody wanted to win.

“After we were winning 3-0 and lost 4-3, it’s a strange feeling, so we look forward to the game on Saturday and we will try to win it.”