Inter will be crowned as champions of the Singapore leg of the International Champions Cup, and, despite the controversial nature of their opening goal, it's arguably a deserved achievement. The Serie A side did well again today, particularly in defence where they continually frustrated a determined Chelsea front line. The Blues pushed as hard as they could but, in the end, they couldn't quite find a way through the sea of black and blue camped in front of them.
FULL-TIME: CHELSEA 1-2 INTER
After spending an age eyeing up his target, Boga sends a lovely cross into the heart of the box that finds Rudiger. The defender can't make decent contact with the ball, however, and his downward header is easily dealt with by Padelli.
Chelsea patiently work the ball around as they try to carve out a late opening. Boga does well to beat Kondogbia as he tries to head into the penalty area, but he's clipped from behind by the French midfielder and wins a free-kick for his side in a very dangerous position.
A. Ranocchia
D. D'Ambrosio
Inter have made a late alteration of their own, with Andrea Ranocchia coming on to replace D'Ambrosio.
Chelsea are throwing everything they've got at Inter, but they just can't seem to find a way through on goal. The Italian side have brought everyone back as they desperately try to hold on to their slender lead.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be five minutes of added time.
K. Scott
N. Kanté
And the sixth is Kante, with Kyle Scott coming on.
F. Tomori
Azpilicueta
The fifth is Azpilicueta, who's replaced by Fikayo Tomori.
L. Rémy
M. Batshuayi
The fourth is Batshuayi, with Loic Remy taking his place.
C. Cuevas
V. Moses
The third is Moses, with Cristian Cuevas coming on.
M. Pašalić
Fàbregas
The second is Fabregas, whose place is taken by Mario Pasalic.
J. Clarke-Salter
G. Cahill
Chelsea have made a whole host of substitutions as the game heads towards its conclusion. The first player to make way is Cahill, who's replaced by Jake Clarke-Salter.
Another opportunity for Batshuayi! Once again, Fabregas finds the Belgian with a delightful ball in from the left flank, but the striker can't keep his headed effort down and sends it looping over the top of the crossbar.
Batshuayi scores, but it's ruled out! Fabregas lifts a lovely lofted pass over the top of the Inter defence and into the path of Batshuayi, who meets the ball well and then fires a great strike past Padelli. He rushes away to celebrate, but just as he does so, the linesman's flag is raised. Skriniar looked to be playing him on, though.
An attempted Inter attacking move fails to come to anything, and Chelsea hit them on another counter-attack. A long ball is fired down the right channel and towards Azpilicueta, but his run forward is slightly mistimed and the linesman's flag is quickly raised.
Kante does really well to dispossess Joao Mario before spinning and kick-starting another quick Chelsea counter-attack. The ball is worked over to Azpilicueta, who then whips a low cross into the heart of the box, but Murillo is just about able to get a foot on it ahead of Batshuayi.
Lovely play by Musonda! The youngster twists and turns on the edge of the Inter penalty area as he showcases some lovely footwork. He then manages to get away a thumping strike that flies towards the goal, but Padelli is there to pull off a comfortable save.
Musonda has looked bright since coming on, and he does well to win Chelsea a corner after storming down the right wing. It's fired into the middle of the penalty area and picks out Cahill, who rises high but can't direct his headed effort towards goal.
Chelsea are pushing hard for an equaliser, but they just can't seem to find a way through Inter's solid back line. This time it's Batshuayi who tries to break through on goal, but Skriniar stands tall and denies the Belgian a way through.
F. Valietti
Borja Valero
Inter have made another alteration, with Valero making way for Valietti.
The Inter players look incredibly confused at having conceded in such a way, but Chelsea are clearly keen to press for an equaliser. They immediately try to do so from the restart, but Moses can't find a way into the box from the left wing and loses out to D'Ambrosio.
G. Kondogbia
Own Goal
GOAL! What on earth was Kondogbia thinking? 40 yards away from his own goal, the Frenchman spins and tries to send the ball back to Padelli. Instead, he somehow ends up lobbing his goalkeeper with an outrageous pass-cum-shot that nestles into the top left-hand corner of the net.
With little over quarter of an hour left to play, Inter seem content to sit back and defend their lead. They've looked relatively comfortable so far, despite Chelsea dominating possession for most of the game.
C. Ansaldi
Y. Nagatomo
And the fourh is Cristian Ansaldi, who comes on to take Nagatomo's place.
J. Murillo
Miranda
The third is Jeison Murillo, with Joao Miranda making way.
Gabriel Barbosa
I. Perišić
The second is Gabriel Barbosa, who takes the place of Perisic.
Eder
M. Brozović
With 20 minutes left to play, Luciano Spalletti has decided to bring on four fresh players. The first to come on is Eder, who replaces Brozovic.
Azpilicueta knocks a clever pass down the right wing and into the path of Musonda, but Joao Miranda is there to blast the ball behind for a corner. The set-piece is a good one and falls to Rudiger after being nodded down by Cahill, but the defender can only fire his shot straight into the hands of Padelli.
Another opportunity for Perisic! The Croatian easily gets the better of Rudiger on the left-hand side of the box as he skips towards the byline on a great run. There are no other Inter players around so he instead decides to shoot, but his effort is fired from a tight angle and can only find the side-netting.
Moses goes down inside the penalty area, but nothing is given! The Nigeria international cuts inside from the left wing and heads into the box on a great run. He then seems to tangle with D'Ambrosio before crashing to the ground, but the referee isn't at all interested and waves play on.
J. Boga
Álvaro Morata
And the second is Morata, whose place is taken by Jeremie Boga.
C. Musonda
Willian
Chelsea have made two further changes. The first player to make way is Willian, who's replaced by Charly Musonda.
Azpilicueta manages to find a pocket of space for himself out wide and quickly whips a cross into the heart of the box. It looks set to find Batshuayi, but Skriniar does really well to get a foot on the ball ahead of the striker.
Almost a third for Inter! Once again, the Nerazzurri hit Chelsea on a wonderful counter-attack. Joao Mario storms towards the penalty area before playing a quick one-two with Perisic, but his low shot from just inside the box is well saved by the feet of Courtois.
Great play by Morata sees him out-muscle Gagliardini before working the ball over to Fabregas. The Spaniard then lifts a delightful pass up towards Batshuayi on the edge of the box, but Skriniar is just about able to get a head on the ball to stop the Belgian from reaching the ball all alone in front of goal.
João Mário
S. Jovetić
And the second is Joao Mario, who takes the place of Jovetic.
G. Kondogbia
A. Candreva
Inter have decided to make a double substitution. The first player to come on is Geoffrey Kondogbia, who replaces Candreva.
Perisic and Jovetic link up well once again before Candreva fires another low cross into the middle of the Chelsea penalty area. This one is better than the last, but Cahill is there to clear the danger.
Chelsea are caught out at the back once again as Inter hit them on a swift counter-attack. This time it's Candreva who sprints down the right wing before whipping a cross into the penalty area, but it's sent too near to Courtois and is easily dealt with by the goalkeeper.
A. Rüdiger
Marcos Alonso
Chelsea have made their first substitution of the game, with Alonso making way for Antonio Rudiger. It looks as if the German will slot in at centre-back, with Azpilicueta moving out wide.
S. Jovetić
Assist
That was good play by Jovetic to set up Perisic, but the whole Inter team deserve credit. They did really well to soak up the pressure being put on them before expertly hitting their opponents on the break.
I. Perišić
Goal
GOAL! It's 2-0 to Inter! The Serie A side embark on a wonderful counter-attack as they scream through the middle of the pitch. Jovetic charges towards the Chelsea box and then sets up Perisic, who quickly fires an excellent low shot past Courtois and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
More good play by Chelsea ends with another dangerous cross from Moses, but this time it's D'Ambrosio who manages to reach the ball first and does well to head it away from danger before Batshuayi can reach it.
Perisic twists and turns over on the left flank as he tries to find a way into the Chelsea penalty area, but he's unable to do so and has to work the ball back to Jovetic. The striker then skips past Kante and unleashes a thumping shot, but it's sent straight at Courtois and the goalkeeper is easily able to save the effort.
What an opportunity for Batshuayi! The Belgian is left all alone inside the Inter box after the Italian side aren't able to fully clear the danger, but he snatches at his shot and somehow manages to drag it wide of the far post. He really should have done better with that!
Moses manages to get the better of Perisic deep down the right wing and then whips a delightful cross into the heart of the Inter penalty area. It's well met by Padelli, however, and the goalkeeper is quickly able to punch the ball away from danger.
We're underway once again!
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
Antonio Conte really won't be happy as he heads down the tunnel. His team have comfortably been on the front foot and arguably deserve to be in front, but it's Inter who have the lead thanks to a very controversial decision by the referee. Azpilicueta clearly won the ball first before tangling with Jovetic, but the referee seemingly didn't have a clear view of the incident and instead decided to point to the spot.
HALF-TIME: CHELSEA 0-1 INTER
T. Courtois
Penalty Save
Courtois will feel incredibly frustrated with that goal, as he did all the hard work but was let down by his team-mates. Nobody was there to deal with the rebound, allowing Jovetic to easily knock the ball into the net from a few yards out.
S. Jovetić
Penalty Miss
It was a really poor strike by Jovetic, who tried to beat Courtois at the goalkeeper's right but sent it far too near to the big Belgian, who had little trouble in getting down quickly enough.
S. Jovetić
Goal
GOAL! Courtois guesses right and saves Jovetic's spot-kick, but the ball rebounds back to the Montenegrin, who then easily knocks a shot into the back of the net from close range to give Inter the lead.
PENALTY! Huge call by the referee! A lovely lofted pass is lifted over the top of the Chelsea defence and into the heart of the penalty area. Jovetic meets it well and quickly tries to shoot, but he's out-muscled by Azpilicueta before he can do so. The referee immediately blows his whistle and points to the spot, however, despite the Spaniard clearly winning the ball.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
Inter patiently work the ball around as they try to carve out a rare chance on goal. Valero does well to tee up Brozovic, who then quickly tries to flick a pass behind to Jovetic. It's poorly executed by the Croatian, however, and not for the first time today.
Candreva gets the better of Alonso deep down the right wing as he storms into the Chelsea half of the pitch. He then spins and picks out D'Ambrosio, who whips a quick cross into the box but can't find a team-mate in front of goal.
Batshuayi cuts inside from the right flank after the resulting corner is sent short, and he then fires a low shot off a black and blue shirt and behind for another corner. The second results in a third, but Gagliardini is just about able to win the ball back from Morata just as the Spaniard is about to shoot from the edge of the penalty area.
Almost a costly mistake by Padelli! Chelsea press the Inter defence back into their own penalty area and force D'Ambrosio to knock the ball to Padelli. The goalkeeper is immediately set on by Batshuayi and completely messes up his attempted control of the ball, resulting in him flicking it just inches wide of the post.
Willian and Moses link up really well over on the right flank before the latter tries to beat Valero on the edge of the Inter box. The Spaniard comes out on top with a really well-timed tackle, and he's then clumsily fouled by Azpilicueta as he attempts to break forward.
Moses initially does well to skip past Perisic before being clipped from behind by the Croatian, resulting in a free-kick to Chelsea. It's taken quickly and worked over to Fabregas, who then tries to pick out Morata with a lofted pass to the left wing, but Danilo D'Ambrosio is there to cut out the danger with a headed clearance.
After a quick drinks break, the game gets underway with an Inter attack. However, it quickly comes to an end after Brozovic isn't able to pick out Jovetic with a swift flick up towards the Chelsea penalty area.
Thumping strike by David Luiz! This is much better from Chelsea, who are starting to cause real problems for the Inter defence. Another determined attack results in a free-kick for the Premier League champions, and it's one that David Luiz fires just wide of the far post after leaving Padelli rooted to the spot.
And now Willian goes close! A second corner in quick succession finds the Brazilian in a pocket of space just outside of the Inter box. He takes a quick touch and then shoots, but his curling effort deflects off an outstretched leg before looping on to the roof of the net.
Morata twists and turns deep down the left wing as he tries to get the better of Skriniar, but he's eventually fouled from behind by the centre-back and wins Chelsea a free-kick. It's fired in by Fabregas and finds David Luiz, who makes great contact with the ball but can't hit the target with his bullet header.
After a bright start, Inter have spent much of the last 15 minutes on the back foot as they sit deep and defend well. They're eventually able to push forward once again, however, but the move fails to result in a chance on goal due to a wayward pass from Brozovic.
The game gets underway once again as Chelsea patiently build from the back. Cesar Azpilicueta eventually whips in a cross from the right wing that flies towards Morata, but Padelli is there to collect it comfortably.
Gary Cahill seems to be in a bit of bother after receiving a clip on the ankle. The Chelsea medical team are quick to come on and observe him, and it looks as if the defender should be able to continue in a few moments.
Wild effort by Batshuayi! An attempted Inter attacking move comes to nothing, allowing Chelsea to quickly counter-attack once again. A lofted pass is thumped down the right channel and into the path of Batshuayi, and the Belgian tries to beat Daniele Padelli from 25 yards out but ends up sending his first-time effort sailing high over the top of the crossbar.
A misplaced pass can only find Batshuayi, who immediately bursts forward on a marauding run. He heads deep into the Inter half of the pitch before eventually teeing up Willian, who tries to get the better of Valero and Joao Miranda but is well dealt with by the duo.
Chelsea patiently work the ball around over on the right flank after Morata's swinging cross in from the left fails to find a team-mate. Willian then sets up N'Golo Kante, who is all alone just outside of the box, but the midfielder can't hit the target with his low shot and instead sees it bounces off Batshuayi's leg.
Yuto Nagatomo storms down the left wing and does well to get himself into a pocket of space near the byline. He then fires a low cross into the heart of the penalty area and towards Jovetic, but David Luiz is there to cut out the danger at the vital moment.
A volleyed pass from Cesc Fabregas flies over the top of the Inter defence and into the path of Batshuayi, who puts Milan Skriniar under pressure and forces him into poking the ball behind for a corner. The set-piece initially fails to result in a chance on goal but eventually finds its way back to Batshuayi, who is then penalised for pulling Joao Miranda's shirt.
Michy Batshuayi tries to hold up the ball on the edge of the Inter box before being brought to the ground, but he's just about able to poke a pass into the penalty area. Alvaro Morata charges on to it and takes on Borja Valero, but it's the midfielder who comes out on top before being fouled by the newly signed striker.
Another chance for Gagliardini! This time the young midfielder brings down a bouncing ball just outside of the Chelsea penalty area and quickly shoots, but his thumping effort misses the near post by a few yards.
Ivan Perisic gets himself into a good position over on the left flank before firing a low cross off Victor Moses and behind for a corner. The set-piece is swung into the box and finds Roberto Gagliardini, who unleashes a volleyed strike that isn't caught particularly well and spins well wide of the goal.
Inter have started really brightly, and they're already putting the Chelsea back line under a lot of pressure. This time it's Stevan Jovetic who bursts forward before teeing up Marcelo Brozovic, who quickly shoots but can't direct it through the wall of defenders camped in front of time.
Huge early chance for Inter! Antonio Candreva charges down the right wing on a great run as he easily gets the better of Marcos Alonso. He then cuts into the penalty area and shoots, but David Luiz is just about able to get a foot on the ball before Thibaut Courtois claws it away from goal.
We're off! Chelsea get us underway, attacking from left to right.
The two teams are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Meanwhile, Inter boss Luciano Spalletti has made four alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Samir Handanovic, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Joao Mario and Eder making way for Daniele Padelli, Roberto Gagliardini, Marcelo Brozovic and Stevan Jovetic.
Antonio Conte has decided to make just two changes to the Chelsea side that started the defeat against Bayern, with David Luiz and new signing Alvaro Morata coming into the starting line-up to replace Andreas Christensen and Jeremie Boga, respectively.
Chelsea XI (3-4-3): Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Fabregas, Kante, Alonso; Willian, Batshuayi, Morata.
There’s just over fifteen minutes to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
Inter still have two more friendlies to go after this one, but new boss Luciano Spalletti has nonetheless decided to field an almost full-strength side. Mauro Icardi has travelled with the Nerazzurri but isn’t yet fit to feature, so his place up front has been filled by Stevan Jovetic in what will be the Montenegrin’s first start for the club since May 2016.
As for Inter, they’ve continually improved over the course of their pre-season campaign, and they head into today’s game with wins from their opening two International Champions Cup clashes. Lyon were easily beaten 1-0 before Eder struck twice in a 2-0 victory against Bayern, and another win here today would see them crowned champions of the Singapore leg of the tournament.
An early collapse saw Chelsea concede three times within the opening 27 minutes against Bayern, but they performed far better after the break and gave their opponents a slight scare when Michy Batshuayi made it 3-2 in the 85th minute. Unsurprisingly, Conte has named a strong starting 11 for this afternoon’s clash, and it’s one that could be used against Arsenal in eight days’ time.
Today’s clash - their third of the pre-season campaign - marks Antonio Conte’s last chance to catch a glimpse of his Chelsea team before next weekend’s Community Shield outing against Arsenal. The Blues comfortably beat the Gunners in Beijing before losing 3-2 against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, and they’ll be aiming to end their Asian adventure with a positive result here today.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s International Champions Cup game between Chelsea and Inter at the National Stadium in Singapore.
Commentary