Chelsea and Wrexham were facing off in a pre-season friendly at the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill and Wrexham winger James McClean clashed just two minutes into their pre-season friendly in California on Wednesday, as the Blues’ tour of the USA got off to an eventful start.
The two sides were playing at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in the first match of the Premier League’s side’s tour which will see them go on to face Celtic, Club America, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
Barely 120 seconds were on the clock when Colwill took exception to a late challenge from McClean, with the pair launching into a shoving match and grabbing each other by the collars.
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The referee quickly intervened, as did players from both teams and the pair were eventually separated and would avoid punishment from the referee.
The match was new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca’s first game in charge of the Blues and he needed an 82nd-minute equaliser from Lesley Ugochukwu to secure a 2-2 draw and avoid what would have been an embarrassing defeat to the League One side.
Chelsea had struck first when Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring after 35 minutes, but goals from Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott after the break put Phil Parkinson’s side ahead, before the Premier League side hit back late on.
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A scrap between Levi Colwill and James McClean in the first 2 minutes of a friendly🤣 pic.twitter.com/IYi1temY3aJuly 25, 2024
The third-minute confrontation proved to be the biggest talking point of the clash which was played in front of just over 32,000 fans at the home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.
Maresca had named a strong starting XI for the match, which saw new signings Tosin Adarabioyo and Marc Guiu handed their Blues debuts, although fellow summer signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall missed out with a knock.
Chelsea kick off their Premier League campaign by hosting champions Manchester City on Sunday, August 18, while Wrexham begin their first season in the third tier since the 2004/05 campaign with a home clash against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday, August 10.
Chelsea after the game (Image credit: Getty Images)
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
