- Marc Guiu opened the scoring in Almaty with two strikes in quick succession
- Renato Veiga found the back of the net as Blues all-but assured qualification
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As school trips go, this was a highly educational one for Chelsea’s academy graduates, as a European encounter like no other turned into an evening of firsts in Kazakhstan.
First starts for Josh Acheampong, 18, and Samuel Rak-Sakyi, 19, with Tyrique George also in the line-up. First appearances for Ato Ampah, 18, Shumaira Mheuka, 17, and Kiano Dyer, 18, as Enzo Maresca named a substitutes’ bench made entirely out of Cobham products. First time in the club’s long history that they named four teenage starters in a major European match, with 18-year-old Marc Guiu amongst the scorers as Chelsea maintained their perfect Conference League record.
It reached as low as minus 15 in Almaty – so cold that even Astana goalkeeper Mukhammedzhan Seysen was wearing a beanie hat – but for those youngsters, the toe-numbing weather was worth it. The same went for the 500 Chelsea fans who, in return for their Planes, Trains and Automobiles remake amid a 7,000-mile round trip from London, were privy to a glimpse of the future.
The young players did their club proud, winning to make sure Chelsea will make it into the Conference League’s round of 16 with a game to spare against Shamrock Rovers. That match at Stamford Bridge is bound to be used to showcase these starlets further.
Pedro Neto was the only regular Premier League starter lining up here, and the reason was largely down to the 85th-minute yellow card he received at Tottenham. That fifth caution leaves him suspended for Brentford on Sunday so here he was, playing while Noni Madueke and Chelsea’s other wingers rested in the warmth of their homes in London.
Rather than sulk, Neto got to work on the right wing. It was his pass which found Marc Guiu down the same side as the striker skinned his man before scoring neatly in the 14th minute. Neto then produced the cross after 18 minutes which Guiu bundled in, UEFA ultimately gifting him the goal rather than Aleksandr Marochkin.
Marc Guiu helped Chelsea spark their win in Almaty with two goals in quick succession
Renato Veiga helped cap Chelsea’s unassailable lead with the side’s third before half-time
The Blues youngsters were tested in freezing temperatures but rose to the occasion to help their side through to the knockout stages (Josh Acheampong pictured)
Chances for Acheampong and Carney Chukwuemeka followed but it became 3-0 when Renato Veiga headed in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner. Veiga kissed the ice on the turf in celebration.
In the 45th minute, Astana scored out of nowhere, their captain Marin Tomasov with a super strike from 18 yards, and the Kazakhstani side pushed for more in the second half.
Ampah replaced Neto at half-time, with fellow substitute Harvey Vale coming close to scoring a tap-in with his first touch. Mheuka, aged only 17, was brought on to become Chelsea’s second-youngest player to ever appear in Europe after Dominic Solanke. Then followed Dyer.
Chelsea’s Under 18s have a big FA Youth Cup tie on Friday night against Leicester and, with the team flying home to London immediately after this match, Mheuka and Dyer could yet participate in that clash. That would be quite the turnaround for the teenagers.
It was a dominant performance from Chelsea, a composed one beyond the tender years of their graduates as they dealt with the declining conditions. Certainly, there was no blaming the players for telling their Astana counterparts they would only swap shirts once back in the warmth of the dressing room.
