Chelsea recorded a 1-0 pre-season friendly victory over Arsenal at Audi Field in Washington D.C. this evening.
Summer signing Sandy Baltimore scored the only goal of the game early in the second half as The Blues ended their US tour with back-to-back wins.
The first half was competitive, although quality goalscoring opportunities were few and far between for both sides. Chelsea youngster Maika Hamano tested Arsenal keeper Manuela Zinsberger early on with a shot from distance before Caitlin Foord fired wide from 20 yards at the other end.
Six minutes before the interval, Chelsea keeper Zećira Mušović produced a significant error when trying to clear the ball but she recovered and denied Foord with an excellent block.
After a goalless first half, Chelsea broke the deadlock two minutes into the second period. Hamano worked hard to win back possession inside the Arsenal box and she played in Baltimore to fire the ball home from 12 yards.
Arsenal had a couple of chances to get back into the contest but forward Alessia Russo failed to significantly test the keeper as the game ended 1-0 in Chelsea’s favour.
Following this evening’s result, both teams will now return to England to step up their preparations for the new season.
