July 27, (THEWILL) – Miguel Almirón scored on his return to Atlanta, helping Newcastle United claim a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in the English Premier League club’s pre-season friendly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday.
Almiron, who played a key role in Atlanta United’s MLS Cup victory at the same stadium in 2018, found the bottom corner of the net with a left-footed finish, levelling the score deep into first-half stoppage time. The more than 70,000 fans in attendance responded with a thunderous ovation.
Chelsea had taken the lead in the 12th minute through new signing Nicolas Jackson, who continued his impressive pre-season form. The former Villarreal forward connected with a through ball from Ian Maatsen and calmly slipped the ball past Martin Dúbravka in the Newcastle goal. However, Almiron’s goal ensured both sides shared the spoils at the end.
Chelsea have two games remaining on their US tour, facing Fulham in Washington, DC on Sunday, followed by a match against Borussia Dortmund in Chicago a week later. Meanwhile, Newcastle’s next match is against Brighton and Hove Albion in New Jersey on Friday, before they return home for their final pre-season matches ahead of the new EPL season.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.