Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the International Champions Cup clash between
Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
The champions of England and France face off for the first time since
Laurent Blanc's men knocked the Blues out of the Champions League back in March. Although this is friendly match, you can bet that
Jose Mourinho will have one eye on getting revenge over PSG for dumping his side out of Europe's elite competition.
Chelsea got their pre-season tour of the USA off to a poor start as they fell to a 4-2 defeat to the New York Red Bulls. Loic Remy put the Blues in the lead in the first half, but the Red Bulls responded in the second as a brace from Sean Davis and goals from Tyler Adams and Franklin Castellanos handed the MLS team the victory, despite a 75th-minute strike from Eden Hazard. Mourinho will be determined to see his team improve on their display in Charlotte this evening.
Blanc's men have been in excellent form in pre-season, having won all of their three matches of the summer. Les Blues brushed aside Wiener SK in their opening match with a 3-0 victory, while they managed to edge past Benfica with a 3-2 victory last week in their first International Champions Cup match. PSG found their rhythm during the week as they defeated Fiorentina 4-2 thanks to a brace from Jean Augustin, who has been their leading scorer during the pre-season campaign. Blanc's men will be determined to add the scalp of Chelsea to their pre-season victories this evening.
The team news has been announced and we'll start with Chelsea.
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Begovic, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Mikel, Matic, Moses, Fabregas, Hazard, Diego Costa
Subs: Traore, Remy, Loftus-Cheek, Solanke, Aina, Clarke-Salter, Willian, Falcao, Ramires, Courtois, Oscar, Cuadrado, Chalobah, Zouma
PSG STARTING XI: Trapp, Van Der Wiel, Aurier, Luiz, Maxwell, Verratti, Stambouli, Matuidi, Lucas, Augustin, Ibrahimovic
Subs: Marquinhos, Maignan, Cavani, Digne, Sirigu, Rabiot, Nkunku, Thiago Motta, Baheback,
Thiago Silva, Sabaly, Kimpemebe, Ongenda
Mourinho names a strong starting lineup this evening as Eden Hazard, John Terry, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas all start.
Victor Moses is part of a five-man midfield and will support Costa along with Hazard and Fabregas, while Nemanja Matic and John Obi Mikel will sit in front of the back four. Branislav Ivanovic will operate on the right flank on the defence with Cesar Azpilicueta on the left, while Gary Cahill partners Terry on the middle. New signing Asmir Begovic starts between the sticks as
Thibaut Courtois begins the match on the bench. Radamel Falcao could make his Chelsea debut in the match as he also starts on the bench, while Oscar, Juan Cuadrado, Ramires and Willian will also get game time this evening.
Blanc also names a strong team for the match as
Zlatan Ibrahimovic leads the line for PSG this evening. The Swede will have not forgotten his dismissal at Stamford Bridge in his side's Champions League victory in March, and will be determined to have a better game against the Blues this time around. David Luiz also features against his old club in the heart of Les Blues defence alongside Serge Aurier as Marquinhos and Thiago Silva start the match on the bench. Benjamin Stambouli plays in the centre of midfield fresh from his move from Tottenham Hotspur, as he operates in the midfield with Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi. Augustin and Lucas Moura will support Ibrahimovic in a three-pronged attack for PSG in an attacking lineup. Edinson Cavani and Jean Bahebeck are among the attacking options available to Blanc on the bench.
Chelsea are going through their paces ahead of kickoff.
The teams are out on the pitch at the Bank of America Stadium so we should be underway shortly.
KICKOFF! We're under in this International Champions Cup match.
A collision between Diego Costa and Aurier happens in the first minute of the game. The striker tried to capitalised on a mistake by the defender, but he was a bit too eager to win the ball and wiped the defender out by clattering into him.
The first forray forward comes from the right as Hazard wins a free kick and launches the ball into the box. Moses tries to sneak in at the back post to latch on to the cross, but Aurier and Van der Wiel manage to hack it clear.
Fabregas is afforded space in the midfield and he tries to release the run of Costa through the middle. The Spaniard's pass is well weighted but Trapp races off his line to beat the forward to the ball and clear it downfield.
Fabregas gets down the right flank and then gets closed down by Stambouli. However, the ball rebounds into the path of Moses who shows his strength to raid past Maxwell into the box, and his low ball across the face of goal causes problems for Luiz and Aurier as Ivanovic tries to pounce. Trapp calms the danger as he dives on the ball before the Serb can poke it towards the net.
Azpilicueta lifts the ball over the top of Van der Wiel and Hazard is able to latch on to the ball and drive towards the box. The Belgian lacks options in the middle and buys a corner off the body of the centre-back.
The corner from Fabregas comes to nothing and allows PSG to hit the Blues on the counter. Lucas cuts in from the left and bears down goal from 20 yards, but he is brought down on the edge of the box. A good chance for Blanc's men to threaten.
Ibrahimovic lines up the strike, but he can only blast his effort straight into the wall and allows the Blues to hoof the ball clear.
Verratti displays his impressive range of passing as he fires the ball across the field for the run of Maxwell down the left. The full-back finds Lucas in the middle before Ibrahimovic brings the ball into the final third. The Swede tries to pick out Augstin, but Chelsea are disciplined at the back and manage to win the ball thanks to Hazard to quell the attack.
SHOT! The first attempt of the game from PSG and it comes from Lucas as he drills his effort from the edge of the box wide of the target. The Brazilian cut in from the left and found Ibrahimovic, who laid the ball back into the winger's path to allow him to continue to raid at goal, but his strike failed to hit the target.
PSG threaten down the right as Verratti feeds the run of Van der Wiel in the final third. The Dutchman has space and time to pick out a teammate in the box, but his cross is cut out by Cahill to clear downfield.
The Ligue 1 side come straight back at Mourinho's men down the left as Lucas tries to cut in down the flank, but his low ball across the face of goal is diverted behind by Ivanovic. Good spell for the French champions.
A clash between Ibrahimovic and Terry in the PSG half as the Chelsea skipper goes up for a header, but the Swede catches him with his arm as he tries to evade the defender. The referee gives the Blues a free kick, but replays suggest that the clash may not have been as unintentional as it first appeared. Ibrahimovic may have gotten away with one there.
Matuidi raids forward and slides the ball into the feet of Ibrahimovic inside the box, who turns and aims to shoot, but he is stopped in his tracks by the referee's whistle for offside. It looked close and Chelsea may have got the benefit of the doubt with the decision.
GOAL! PSG 1-0 Chelsea (Ibrahimovic)
PSG take the lead and Ibrahimovic opens the scoring as he latches on to a rebound from Augustin's shot to slot the ball into the net from close range. Augustin was afforded space and time by the Chelsea backline and his strike clattered off the woodwork, and the Swede was in the right place to knock home the ball.
CHANCE! Costa is denied by an excellent save by Trapp at his near post as the keeper tries his effort on to the bar and behind for a corner. Hazard fed the run of the forward and the Costa took the shot on with his left foot, powering his strike towards the top corner, but Trapp made the stop.
PSG have relaxed since the goal as Chelsea have dominated possession. The Blues are trying to force a way back into the game, but the Ligue 1 side have been disciplined at the back for the majority of the match.
CHANCE! Lucas almost doubles PSG's lead as he races through the middle of the Chelsea defence and fires an effort at goal, which takes a deflection off Cahill, but Begovic manages to readjust his feet to make the reaction stop. A great save from the keeper.
PSG press forward again and Lucas feeds the ball into the path of Ibrahimovic who drops off just outside the box. Maxwell raids down the left and receives the ball from the Swede and fires it across the face of goal. Van der Wiel collects the ball and drives into the box, but is then brought down by Matic, but the referee waves play on.
CHANCE! Verratti should double his side's lead as he latches on to Stambouli's arcing pass over the top of the Chelsea defence at the back post. He takes one touch to control the ball, but his second is disappointing as he knocks his effort over the bar as Begovic races off his line to narrow the angle. A glorious chance for the Italian.
Les Blues are looking the sharper of the sides this evening. Their passing is more assertive and their forward players are moving the Chelsea back four around to open up more space for the likes of Verratti and Matuidi in the midfield.
CHANCE! Augustin races on to a through ball from Van der Wiel as he drives into the inside right channel. Begovic comes out to make life difficult for the forward, and he does enough to make the block with his body to deny the poked effort from the Frenchman.
Chelsea desperately need to get their foot on the ball to try and control the game. They are quite fortunate to only be one goal behind as they have offered very little going forward and have been cut open too easily at the back over the past 10 minutes.
CHANCE! Lucas is allowed to move further upfield with the ball as the Chelsea defence back off to the edge of the box. The Brazilian carves out a shooting chance from the edge of the box as three players allow him to fire a low strike at goal, and only a fingertip save from Begovic denies the winger. Very poor defending from the Blues.
HALF-TIME: PSG 1-0 Chelsea
Half time at the Bank of America Stadium and Chelsea are very fortunate to be only one goal behind as Laurent Blanc's men have been well on the top in the first 45 minutes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic notched the strike as he pounced on the rebound after Jean Augustin saw his effor clatter off the post, while only Asmir Begovic has stood in the way of PSG taking complete control of the match.
Chelsea had a bright start to the match in the opening 10 minutes as Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas found success through the middle, but the Ligue 1 side have tightened their marking of the duo to limit the Blues' attacking play. At the other end of the pitch, Lucas has been a thorn in the side of Mourinho's men throughout the contest with his weaving runs. He could have had a couple of goals if not for Begovic, and Chelsea will have to make a point of closing him down earlier to quell his threat in the final third.
Marco Verratti has also been pivotal in PSG's dominance of the first half as his array of passing has been the Blues well and truly on the back foot. The Italian could have notched a second goal for his side had he been able to maintain his composure in the six-yard box, but he lifted his strike over the bar.
The players are making their way out on to the pitch for the second half. Let us see if there shall be any changes for the the second 45 minutes.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Begovic has been replaced by Courtois, Cahill has gone off for Zouma and Ramires is on for Mikel for the Blues. Meanwhile, PSG have brought on Rabiot, Thiago Motta and Marquinhos.
RESTART! We're back under at the Bank of America Stadium.
Slow start to the half as Chelsea are content to build up a rhythm inside their own half without posing a threat to PSG, who seem quite content to sit back.
SHOT! Motta lines up a strike from 30 yards which sails towards the net, although Courtois appears to have his body behind the strike. The Belgian cannot gather the ball and it hits off his body and goes behind him, but he manages to get back in time to gather.
YELLOW CARD! Rabiot goes into the book as he brings down Hazard on the flank. The full-back is none too happy with the referee.
Chelsea cannot capitalise from the free kick as Fabregas's delivery into the box is poor and PSG are able to clear their lines with ease.
Blanc's men are back into a rhythm in their passing game and they're making Chelsea work hard to cover their defensive duties in the final third. PSG are definitely the sharper of the two sides this evening, but Blanc will be hopeful his team can add to the scoreline to reflect the quality of their play.
Ibrahimovic peels off Terry as the ball is fed into his feet from Maxwell, and the Swede tries to guide the ball into the advancing Matuidi, but the midfielder cannot take the ball in stride and Chelsea clear the danger.
Zouma makes a vital interception to stop the run of Augustin as the forward races into the box from the right, but the defender is there just at the right time to prevent him from firing at goal. Motta then sees his effort blocked by Matic as he shoots from the follow-up from outside the box.
YELLOW CARD! Aurier goes into the book as he takes a swipe at the feet of Costa. The striker may have got a piece of the defender with a glancing arm before the tackle which seems to enrage the Ivory Coast international.
CHANCE! Huge chance for Chelsea to equalise as Costa robs Rabiot in the final third to set up Fabregas one-on-one with Trapp. The Spaniard dallies on his effort and allows Marquinhos to get back at him to make the block, while Moses fires the rebound wide of the post. Poor miss from Fabregas, who has not been at his best in this match.
CHANCE! Van der Wiel races down the flank and fires a low ball across the face of goal which falls into the path of Lucas who fires an effort on the half-volley, but his strike goes inches past the post. Courtois was well-beaten in the middle of his goal.
GOAL! PSG 1-1 Chelsea (Moses)
Chelsea are level as Fabregas makes up for his botched attempt at goal by arcing a pinpoint ball over the PSG defence to the back post for the run of Moses, who guides the ball past Trapp into the bottom corner. A lovely goal from the Blues.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Before the goal Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani came on for Les Blues to replace Aurier and Augustin.
Chelsea raid forward again as Costa collects the ball on the edge of the box from Hazard. He tries to twist and turn past Marquinhos, but the defender holds him up and forces him wide to Moses. The winger cuts back across the box and feeds Matic, who drills a left-footd shot at goal, but Silva makes the vital block.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Remy, Willian and Oscar come on to replace Costa, Fabregas and Matic, while Falcao also makes his first appearance for the Blues as he comes on for Moses.
CHANCE! Remy almost makes an immediate impact off the bench as he combines with Falcao after the Colombian won the ball back in the final third to set up his teammate, but his low drive was well saved by Sirigu.
Ibrahimovic makes good headway towards the Chelsea box ansd opts to find his strike partner Cavani who peels off to the left. The striker takes a touch to get the ball out from his feet and drills an effort at goal, but his strike sails harmlessly into the crowd behind the goal. Poor effort from the Uruguayan.
SUBSTITUTION: One more change for Chelsea as Cuadrado enters the contest to replace Hazard.
Cuadrado advances down the left wing and eases past Rabiot to cut inside on his right into the box. He slides the ball into the feet of Falcao, who dummies his first strike, and then fires a left-footed effort at goal, but Marquinhos makes the block with his body.
Cuadrado is in behind the PSG defence again and has the chance to raid forward at goal, but he dallies with the ball and then fails to pick out a teammate in the support before Maxwell gets back to win possession.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Multiple changes for PSG as Ibrahimovic, Lucas, Maxwell and Matuidi make way for Digne, Nkunku, Ongenda and Sabaly.
The French side find their rhythm to create space for Bahebeck down the right and he challenges Azpilicueta to win a corner for his team. However, the delivery from the right is poor and the Blues clear the danger.
PSG waste a promising attacking platform deep in the final third as Nkunku clatters into Terry to hand Chelsea a free kick. The French side have lost all the attacking impetus they had in the match since Verratti left the field.
The tempo of the game has dropped significantly over the past five minutes as both teams seem content to wait for penalties to decide the contest.
There will be three minutes of added time.
CHANCE! Bahebeck is afforded space and time in the final third to fire at goal from the edge of the box, but his effort sails just over the bar and Chelsea breathe again.
CHANCE! Space opens up in the final third for PSG once again as Nkuku lines up a strike from 25 yards, but Courtois does well to watch the ball all the way to palm his effort away from goal.
FULL-TIME: PSG 1-1 Chelsea
We're going to penalties to decide the contest as neither side could secure the victory in the 90 minutes.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic fired PSG ahead in the first half and Blanc's men had plenty of chances to extend their lead, but they couldn't capitalise on their good play and Victor Moses made them pay with a neat finish in the second half when he converted Cesc Fabregas's cross.
Here we go with the shootout as Motta will take the first penalty for PSG.
Motta ues the stutter step run up and slides the ball into the bottom corner to put his side ahead.
Falcao takes Chelsea's first spot kick and buries his effort into the bottom corner.
Rabiot nails his spot kick into the top corner, leaving Courtois with no chance.
Azpilicueta finds the bottom corner, putting the ball inches past the outstretched hand of Sirigu.
Ongenda remains cool from the spot as he sends Courtois the wrong way.
SAVED! The first miss as Cuadrado's effort is saved by Sirigu as he guesses the right way and palms the ball to safety.
SAVED! Courtois makes the stop this time as Bahebeck fires his effort at comfortable height diving to his right.
Remy levels the scores as he puts the ball into the bottom corner, sending Sirigu the wrong way.
Cavani holds his nerve to dispatch his effort into the top corner. All the pressure is on Chelsea now.
Cool as you like from Oscar as he uses the stutter step and strokes the ball into the bottom corner.
Marquinhos finds the net, but Courtois is furious with himself as he gets a hand to the ball, although not enough to prevent the ball from crossing the line.
Nice penalty from Willian as he finds the corner to bring his side level.
SAVED! Courtois makes the save to deny Silva. Chelsea can win the game with the next spot kick. Where's John Terry?
CHELSEA WIN THE SHOOTOUT! Courtois steps up to take the spot kick and he smashes the ball into the top corner to secure the win for his side. That's how you take a penalty. Bet Chelsea wish they had him in Moscow back in 2008.
Thanks for joining our commentary this evening. Until next time, goodbye!