Chelsea cruise to fifth straight Europa Conference League win

Chelsea made it five wins in five Europa Conference League outings on Thursday with a 3-1 victory against Astana in Almaty.

A much-changed Chelsea side battled the frigid conditions in Kazakhstan and won to all but guarantee a top-eight finish in the league phase, which would ensure automatic qualification to the round of 16.

Chelsea sit top of the standings on 15 points, three ahead of Legia Warsaw who are the only other side to boast a perfect record in the competition.

The Polish side will seek to draw level with Chelsea when they host Lugano of Switzerland later on Thursday.

The defeat leaves Astana in the final knock-out play-off spot with four points and at risk of elimination.

Chelsea wrapped up the points in the first half through goals from Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga.

Marin Tomasov pulled one back for the hosts on the stroke of half-time but Enzo Maresca’s side rarely looked troubled in the second half as they closed out the win.

Guiu gave Chelsea the perfect start by netting a brace inside the opening 20 minutes, bringing his tally in Europe to three goals in five appearances this season.

His first on 14 minutes showcased the ex-Barcelona attacker’s budding talent as he drove past a defender on the right flank before stroking home from an acute angle.

The 18-year-old Spaniard doubled up four minutes later with a striker’s goal as he forced the ball home at the front post following good wing play by Pedro Neto.

Renato Veiga, 21, headed in Chelsea’s third from a corner on 39 minutes.

Croatian veteran Tomasov scored the pick of the goals in the 45th minute as he stood up Renato Veiga in the box before arcing a fine left-footed strike in off the far post.

Earlier, Djurgarden of Sweden provisionally moved up to sixth with a 2-1 win at Vikingur Reykjavik despite finishing with 10 men.

AFP

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