Chelsea defeats Astana in Conference League
Chelsea claimed a confident 3–1 victory over Astana in the fifth round of the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
Despite fielding a young squad with an average age of 20, Chelsea included key players like Pedro Neto and Axel Disasi in their starting lineup.
The first major chance came in the 8th minute when Pedro Neto tested Astana goalkeeper Seisen, who made a solid save. Chelsea broke through in the 15th minute as 18-year-old Marc Guiu dribbled past a defender and scored. Just three minutes later, Guiu struck again, converting a precise pass from Neto to double the lead.
Chelsea dominated the first half, with Neto and Carney Chukwuemeka creating more chances. However, Seisen continued to impress with crucial saves. In the 39th minute, Renato Veiga headed in a corner to make it 3–0. Astana fought back, and just before halftime, Marin Tomasov skillfully beat a defender and curled a left-footed shot into the net, narrowing the score to 3–1.
The second half was intense, with Astana pressing hard to reduce the deficit. Tomasov tested Chelsea goalkeeper Jorgensen in the 51st minute, but the shot was deflected for a corner. Despite Astana’s efforts and Chelsea’s attempts to extend their lead, no further goals were scored.
The match ended 3–1, with Chelsea maintaining their lead at the top of the group with 15 points from five games, while Astana remains in 24th place with 4 points.
The starting line-ups were as follows:
Astana: Seisen (Goalkeeper), Bartolec, Kalaica, Kazhukulovas, Vorogovskiy, Ebong, Chinedu, Tomasov, Marochkin, Kamara, Amanovich
Chelsea: Jorgensen (Goalkeeper), Disasi, Adarabioyo, Pedro Neto, Chukwuemeka, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Acheampong, Guiu, Renato Veiga, Rak-Sakyi
