Chelsea 2-1 Zagreb, player ratings: routine win for the Blues

The game started in the worst possible way for Chelsea as they went behind in the 7th minute thanks to some poor defending from all of the back four. But from then on the Blues were in full control of the game and went on to equalise in the 18th minute through Raheem Sterling who calmly placed the ball in the bottom corner.

And, in the 30th minute, full time debutant Denis Zakaria lashed his effort into the goal to mark his much awaited debut. In the second half, Zagreb threatened the Chelsea goal early on forcing Edouard Mendy into making a save. That was as good as it got for Zagreb as CFC dominated possession but couldn’t extend their lead despite having a number of great chances. The game ended in worry as Ben Chilwell pulled his hamstring right at the end with him being carried off the pitch.

Here’s how each Chelsea player fared in a routine win against the Croatian outfit:

1. Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 6/10

Probably should have done better with his effort to save Zagreb’s first goal. Apart from that, wasn’t involved much in the first half. Early in the second half, Mendy was called into action making a close range save to keep the lead intact. That turned out to be his last impact on the game.