English giants Chelsea nailed a convincing win against Thailand’s All-Stars on Sunday, clinching a 4-0 victory in the capital Bangkok on the second match of their 15-day Asian tour. The result was a marked improvement for the Stamford Bridge team after they failed to shine in Malaysia on Thursday in their first match in Asia, where they scraped a 1-0 win.
On Sunday in the Thai capital’s Rajamangala National Stadium, both sides failed to capitalise on free kicks and corners in the first half until England midfielder Frank Lampard scored in the 38th minute.
Chelsea pushed ahead to 2-0 a few minutes into the second half when All-Stars goalkeeper Pattarakorn Tanganurat mishandled a shot from Portuguese forward Jose Bosingwa. A third goal followed soon after from Serb Branislav Ivanovic in the 52nd minute, and the Blues clinched their fourth and last goal from substitute Frenchman Florent Malouda in the 72nd minute. Chelsea’s next stop after Thailand will be Hong Kong, where they play a friendly against Kitchee, a local team, before ending their tour against either Blackburn Rovers or Aston Villa. Their slim win in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday was marred by racial abuse directed at their midfielder Yossi Benayoun — the first Israeli to play in the Muslim-majority nation. But new Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas said after Sunday’s match that fans in both Thailand and Malaysia were “amazing”. He said his side’s tactics in both matches were similar, although the outcome was better for them in Bangkok. When asked about his expectations for Fernando Torres, who transferred from Liverpool in January for a British record £50 million but has since scored just once, Villas-Boas said: “I expect from my team, not individuals”.
Like the rest of Asia, Thailand has an enduring love affair with the English game, and Thai investors have developed close links with Premiership clubs in an attempt to boost the domestic game and raise their profile abroad. Chang Beer has been the main sponsor of Everton football club since 2004, while in July this year arch-rival Singha unveiled a three-year deal with Manchester United, by far the most popular English club in Asia.
