Chelsea Beat AC Milan 3-0 in Jakarta as João Pedro Scores Twice

Chelsea beat AC Milan 3-0 in a pre-season friendly at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on August 8, 2026, with a first-half header and a rapid start to the second half from João Pedro putting the game out of reach before Moisés Caicedo added a spectacular third.

João Pedro's Double Turns a Tight Game Decisive

Chelsea, set up in Xabi Alonso's 3-4-2-1 shape with Caicedo captaining alongside Roméo Lavia in midfield, broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time when João Pedro headed in an inswinging corner delivered by Caicedo. The lead doubled almost immediately after the restart, with João Pedro sweeping home a free-kick cross from Pedro Neto just a minute into the second half. Four minutes later, Caicedo put the result beyond reasonable doubt with an outside-of-the-boot volley from the edge of the box following another corner.

Milan, managed by Rúben Amorim, had started the brighter of the two sides but could not sustain that early pressure. The Italian club made eight substitutions at halftime, a wholesale change that reshaped the contest for the second period. Chelsea continued to press their advantage late on, with Nicolas Jackson striking the outside of the post in the 83rd minute.

Set-Piece Work Pays Off After Back-to-Back Defeats

The win marked Chelsea's first clean sheet under Alonso and came after consecutive defeats to Tottenham and Juventus earlier in pre-season. Two of the three goals followed directly from corners, a detail the club has tied to work with new set-piece coach Austin McPhee. That improvement, alongside the freedom Alonso's back-three system gave wing-backs such as Marco Palestra to push forward, offered the clearest evidence yet of tactical adjustments taking hold before the competitive season begins.

Played in 30°C heat as part of Chelsea's Asia-Pacific tour, the match had no bearing on any league table, but it gave Alonso a first defensively solid outing to build on after a difficult run of pre-season results.