July 22, 2012
NO EXTRA INNINGS
Chelsea-PSG at Yankee Stadium ends in tie

The new Yankee Stadium played host to its first soccer game. Photo courtesy of the New York Yankees

The first soccer game at the new Yankee Stadium didn't exactly turn into a home run derby, with European heavyweights Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain playing to a 1-1 draw in front of 38,202 most Chelsea blue-clad fans.

The French side took the lead a half hour into the game on a rather bizarre goal. Javier Pastore sent a shot banging off the left post. The ball fell to the feet of Brazilian Nenê, who claimed the rebound and sent a shot deflecting off Chelsea defender David Luiz.

Chelsea claimed the equalizer through their own Brazilian, youngster Lucas Piazon. Making a run down the right side, he laid the ball off to Ramires and continued his run into the area, receiving the ball back and slipping it to the far post.

The first game for both teams on their U.S. tours, the match moved along rather slowly in the first half, despite an early chance by PSG, when Ezequiel Lavezzi got a cross from Nenê, and took a shot from the inside of the box, forcing Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to make a third-minute save.

Chelsea came close to getting on the board in the 15th minute, but Eden Hazzard put his shot wide of the right post.

Both sides seemed energized by multiple substitutions at halftime and just past the hour mark, with both teams creating chances at both ends of the pitch, which was laid out from the area of the first base dugout out toward left field.

Michael Essien had a chance to knot the game for Chelsea in the 57th minute, but his shot from outside the area was blocked. Following the corner kick, Branislav Ivanovic missed wide to the right.

PSG had a clear chance in the 69th minute, when a cross by Maxwell found Guillaume Hoarau alone on the right side of the penalty area, but he could not redirect his header back toward goal, and sent it wide.

Chelsea tested PSG's 19-year-old goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who came in as a sub in the 63rd minute, with a wave of blue shirts in the 85th. Veteran Ashley Cole, who came off the bench at the same time as Areola, sent a short cross through the area for Florent Malouda. Malouda's left footed shot from inside the area was blocked by Areola.

A flurry in the 88th minute tested Chelsea backup goalkeeper Ross Turnbull. First the goalkeeper made a stop of a shot by Javier Pastore and then, while still on the ground, grabbed an effort by Guillaume Hoarau.

Chelsea heads to Philadelphia on Monday for a couple of days of training at the Philadelphia Eagles complex, before taking on the MLS All-Stars at PPL Park on Wednesday. Paris Saint Germain faces DC United on Saturday.

The field at Yankee Stadium will be converted back to a baseball diamond for the Yankees who return home on Friday, but after that homestand will again revert to a soccer pitch for Real Madrid to face AC Milan on August 8