In Chelsea’s last moment victory over Club America in a pre-season friendly, Reece James was not at his best and made many errors including one which led to an own-goal that nearly cost the win of his team with the video viral
In a preseason friendly against Club America on Sunday morning, Chelsea star Reece James made a mistake while passing the ball back to third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, who let it go straight into the goal. If Mason Mount hadn’t scored a late goal to give Thomas Tuchel’s team the lead, the Blues might not have won due to the hilarious own goal.
Reece James And Kepa Combine To Score Comical Own Goal During Chelsea vs Club America, Video Goes Viral
Reece James tried to pass like Trent and ended up scoring in his own goal 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/YnU0temLiB
— Dan 🍉 (@FabioRole) July 17, 2022
How Reece James comical own-goal Unfolded?
When introduced at halftime in the preseason match between Chelsea’s Mexican opponents, James and Bettinelli’s lack of shared playing time was instantly made clear. Timo Werner’s first-half goal had put the Blues ahead 1-0 and they were coasting, so the under-pressure James decided to roll a pass back to Bettinelli without looking up to see where the goalkeeper was positioned.
The pass was made without much hurry, but it still fully caught Bettinelli off guard, and his extended leg was not nearly long enough to stop an embarrassing gaffe in front of the crowded stadium.
Why Reece James bad display against Club America Shouldn’t be a big concern for Thomas Tuchel
Although the own goal put Chelsea behind at the moment, James was a key contributor to Werner’s first goal as his low cross found the German’s feet and allowed him to score from close range. The Blues’ winning goal didn’t come until the 83rd minute, but the waiting paid off as Mount curled in a beautiful attempt from the edge of the box.
Predictably, Tuchel took use of the preseason to scout a number of supporting players, and the manager made 11 substitutions at halftime. Conor Gallagher, Ethan Ampadu, and Michy Batshuayi all saw time as the team works to get back into match shape for the next season. Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly were unable to play in Las Vegas despite Tuchel’s opportunity to see a wide variety of players. The seasoned pair cost Chelsea an estimated £84 million each when they left Manchester City and Napoli, but the match appeared to come too soon for either star to be involved in the action.
Twitter reacts to blunder by Reece James as Fans draw comparison James with Trent Alexander Arnold
Social media users responded to the strange situation in a big way, mocking the Chelsea right-back for an own goal. Some users even compared him to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. Because they both hail from the same country and play similarly, football fans frequently compare James and Trent on social media.
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