CHELSEA have beaten Barcelona 2-1 in their Rakuten Cup clash in Japan.
The result is Frank Lampard’s most impressive as Chelsea boss to date, with his side putting in a positive showing at the Saitama Stadium. Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley grabbed the goals.
Lionel Messi’s absence helped, but the Blues prevented Barcelona from playing their game and were worthy winners.
Barcelona dominated possession in the early exchanges, with Antoine Griezmann showing impressive link-up play on his debut.
But it was Chelsea who came closest to opening the scoring in the first half, with Tammy Abraham firing over from six yards out.
The Blues threatened again in the 28th minute but Christian Pulisic steered his effort wide.
Then, in the 34th minute, Abraham made amends for his earlier miss by giving Chelsea the lead.
Lampard’s Chelsea were preventing Barcelona from playing their game and Pulisic could have doubled their lead but he fired wide from a tight angle.
Barcelona upped their game and Kepa Arrizabalaga was forced into making four saves in quick succession.
But they were unable to get back into the game and Barkley made it 2-0 with a lovely strike.
The match offered the first glimpse of Griezmann in a Barcelona shirt.
The Frenchman was making his debut for the Blaugrana following his €108 million move from Atletico Madrid.
Griezmann was on the end of a strong challenge by Jorginho in the 17th minute that left him needing treatment.
But he showcased his talent in his 45 minutes on the pitch and Barcelona supporters have to be happy.
Based on this evidence, the 2018 World Cup winner is going to fit in well at Barcelona and the thought of him playing with Lionel Messi is very exciting. – givemesport.com
