The match started at a much higher intensity than previous pre-season friendlies and Inter had the first chance of the game when Marcos Alonso got his offside trap all wrong and allowed Antonio Candreva to get in behind and latch onto D’Ambrosio’s ball. The Italian international fired at goal but David Luiz did well to get back and get a foot on the ball and Courtois saved. The Belgian palmed the ball away but only as far as Ivan Perisic who saw his follow-up blocked by Gary Cahill.
The two teams then exchanged a series of corners with neither really making the most of their set-pieces before Inter midfielder Roberto Gagliardini fired wide from 20 yards on the half-volley.
The two sides then traded spells of pressure with neither really creating a clear-cut chance.
The next chance of note came just before the half-hour mark when Chelsea won a free kick near the corner flag following a foul on Morata. Fabregas floated it in and it was met by Luiz, his effort was goalbound but it was blocked at point-blank range by an Inter man, perhaps with the help of a hand.
Chelsea took the resulting corner quickly and Willian’s effort from the edge of the box was deflected on to the roof of the net.
Just minutes later David Luiz took aim with a 35 yard free kick after a foul on Willian, he struck his effort well but it flew just wide of Padelli’s left-hand post.
Inter took the lead on the stroke of half-time in controversial circumstances. Jovetic went down in the box under a challenge from Azpilicueta as he looked to latch onto a pass from Valero. Azpilicueta looked to have got a touch on the ball but the referee pointed to the spot. Jovetic saw his penalty well saved by Courtois away to his left-hand side but the Belgian could do nothing to prevent the former City man from tucking away the rebound.
The second half started a breakneck speed, Inter had the ball in the net straight from the kick-off. Brozovic was allowed the freedom of the National Stadium down the left and when his shot across goal was parried, Jovetic was on hand to tuck the rebound home, only to be denied by the offside flag.
Just minutes later Michy Batshuayi missed a fantastic chance to get Chelsea back in the game. Inter failed to clear in the right back position and Fabregas seized on the indecision, nicking in to win the ball and finding Batshuayi 10 yards out but the striker dragged a left-footed effort wide of the far post when he really ought to have hit the target.
Antonio Conte’s side were made to regret that miss just three minutes later when Ivan Perisic doubled the Italian side’s lead. He was played in down the left by Jovetic and after moving the ball out of his feet with one touch he fired the ball back across Thibaut Courtois from an acute angle with his left foot and into the far corner.
On the hour mark Luciano Spalletti’s side had the chance to put the game to bed as they countered at pace. Joao Mario set Ivan Perisic away and he drew the covering defender before pulling the ball back into the path of the Portuguese who was completely unmarked. He took aim from 12 yards but was denied by Courtois.
Chelsea new boy Antonio Rudiger then prodded an effort goalwards after Inter failed to clear a corner but the German couldn’t really direct it and Padelli made the save.
The game then fell into a bit of a lull as both sides rung the changes but Chelsea got back into the game on 74 minutes through a moment of madness from Geoffrey Kondogbia.
The Inter midfielder was passed the ball 45 yards from his own goal and under a bit of pressure, elected to give the ball back to his goalkeeper, so far so good, he looked up, played the pass but massively overhit it and ended up lobbing Padelli from fully 45 yards, a quite remarkable own-goal.
That goal gave new life to Chelsea who dominated from there on out. Musonda saw an effort well saved by Padelli after a bright run and a couple of corners caused momentary hesitation.
The Blues thought they had equalised after 87 minutes when Fabregas dinked the ball over the Inter defence and into the path of Batshuayi, the Belgian duly fired the ball low past Padelli but the flag was up for offside. It looked like a very close call on the replay.
That was the last real chance that Antonio Conte's side managed to create and Chelsea ended their International Champions Cup campaign on a losing note.
The Blues won't have to wait long to have another chance at glory though, they face Arsenal at Wembley in the Community Shield a week tomorrow.
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