Reigning English champions stunned in first pre-season game

Davis scores twice as Mourinho’s men held 4-2 by New York Red Bulls.

Afp July 23, 2015

Marsch opted for a young lineup and it paid off as midfielder Davis scored twice while Tyler Adams and Franklin Castellanos added one each to pile misery on the reigning English champions. PHOTO: AFP

NEW YORK/ MELBOURNE: Sean Davis scored twice in the second half as the New York Red Bulls upset Chelsea 4-2 in the reigning English Premier League champions’ first game of their pre-season US exhibition tour.

The Red Bulls scored four times in the second half against mighty Chelsea on Wednesday despite using a roster made up of mostly of young developmental players.

They were also coming off a quarter-final loss less than 24 hours earlier to the Philadelphia Union in the US Open Cup competition.

New York head coach Jesse Marsch went with a youthful lineup and it paid off as midfielder Davis scored in the 73rd and 77th minutes and 16-year-old Tyler Adams scored in the 70th minute.

Franklin Castellanos scored in the 51st minute for the Red Bulls, who were playing Chelsea for the first time.

Loic Remy in the 26th minute and Eden Hazard in the 75th scored for Chelsea, who are on a three-game tour of North America.

Chelsea field vastly different sides in each half as just three players played the full 90 minutes.

It was a difficult Chelsea debut for goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who came on in the second half. The Blues were without stars Willian and Juan Cuadrado as they were both resting after competing in the Copa America tournament.

Chelsea’s next game is Saturday against Paris Saint-Germain in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Delph to start for Man City, Dzeko could leave

New signing Fabian Delph will play for Manchester City in Friday’s pre-season match with Real Madrid in Melbourne while Edin Dzeko may be on his way out, manager Manuel Pellegrini announced Thursday.

Delph is expected to get a run along with City’s record signing Raheem Sterling against the 10-time European champions in the final game of the International Champions Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“We are near to the start of the Premier League so I think that the senior players will have more minutes than the last game and I think Delph will be involved,” said Pellegrini.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2015.

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