Astana 1-3 Chelsea: Maresca´s men secure qualification in freezing temperatures

Chelsea confirmed their spot in the last 16 of the Conference League by beating Astana 3-1 in bitterly cold conditions.

A temperature of -10 degrees was recorded in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where the match was hosted, but it did not bother the Blues.

Marc Guiu got the visitors off to a good start, dribbling inside from the right and firing into the net after 14 minutes.

Enzo Maresca’s side doubled their lead via an Aleksandr Marochkin own goal four minutes later, before Renato Veiga’s header made it three.

Marin Tomasov pulled one back for Astana just before the break, but it was never likely to be enough.

The Blues cruised through the second half with a serenity that summed up their progress in the competition so far, with Maresca able to hand opportunities to several youngsters.

4 – In Josh Acheampong, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Tyrique George and Marc Guiu, @ChelseaFC are starting four teenagers in a match in major European competition for the very first time. Kicks. #ASTCHE

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 12, 2024

Data Debrief: No hassle for much-changed Blues

It was a positive night for Chelsea’s young talent, with four teenagers (Josh Acheampong, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Tyrique George and Guiu) named in a starting XI for the first time in their history.

All four had the opportunity to shine during a game when Chelsea were superior to their opponents, registering 1.19 xG to Astana’s 0.27.

Former Barcelona attacker Guiu scored the opener in exciting fashion and his dribbling ability was clear to see throughout the contest, while George was also a threat from the left. Veiga, meanwhile, had a team-leading five attempts, while Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall created four chances each.

Maresca gave more youngsters playing time in the second half, benefitting both them and the Blues’ first-teamers, who rested up for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Brentford.