Chelsea are calling this a "behind-closed-doors" friendly, but judging by the Facebook page of ATUS Ferlach, there were plenty of locals in Ferlach (pop. 4377) who got to sit on the rickety stands (or at least hang out in the parking lot) and take-in English Premier League side Chelsea's visit to the Austrian regional league champions' home. The ground did get fenced off with blue tarp adorned by the ubiquitous Carabao logo, so obviously they were keen to keep this as private as possible, but it was certainly a big day for the local side and their fans.
In any case, Chelsea scored eight times as players who have not gotten feature much so far in preseason (Blackman, Cuevas, Miazga, etc) as well as the recently returned vacationers (Pedro, Azpilicueta, Fabregas, Cahill, Cuadrado) got a run-out against the obviously outmatched ATUS Ferlach. Ferlach did win the Austrian fourth division — Kärnten regional league last season, but did not get promoted for economic and sporting reasons (i.e. their stadium is not good enough, or some such).
Unfortunately there's no video or even highlights available of this game (yet?), but Loïc Rémy grabbed a hat-trick, Michy Batshuayi and Pedro each chipped in with a brace, and even John Obi Mikel scored a goal. Truly an occasion to remember and cherish.
ATUS Ferlach's Facebook page has quite a few pictures from the event, including a shirtless and shorts-less Pedro, who seems to be enjoying his brief time in Austria just a bit too much. Steady!
Pedro REALLY likes Austria. pic.twitter.com/WwMGRRAYOE
— Dávid Pásztor (@D_Peezy) July 22, 2016
Yes, there is more.