Terry's late show as Chelsea open U.S. tour with victory

Last updated at 13:32 15 July 2007

John Terry's late goal proved decisive as Chelsea came from behind to claim a

2-1 victory over Club America in a friendly at Stanford Stadium.

The Blues skipper struck in the 84th minute when he collected a pass from new

signing Florent Malouda and beat America goalkeeper Armando Navarrete with a

powerful strike.

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John Terry 2007/08 pre-season

It proved an eventful debut for the former Lyon winger, who also netted the

equaliser to mark his Chelsea bow in impressive fashion.

Club America stunned Jose Mourinho's side by taking an unexpected lead after

just four minutes when midfielder Juan Carlos Mosqueda pounced on a loose ball

inside the area and beat Petr Cech.

Despite dominating possession, Chelsea could not capitalise on several scoring

opportunities against the Mexicans and had to wait until the 75th minute to

fashion an equaliser.

Defender Sam Hutchinson found Malouda and the midfielder managed to sneak a

shot past America goalkeeper Armando Navarrete to level the encounter before

having a hand in Terry's late winner.

Chelsea will next face Korean side Suwon Bluewings before rounding off their

American tour against David Beckham's new club LA Galaxy.

Boss Jose Mourinho was satisfied with his side's display and the Portuguese boss, who had previously stated his intention to use the series of US friendlies as competitive training sessions, was happy with the workout his side received from the Mexican club.

"I'm pleased," Mourinho said.

"It was a very good training session. I want to thank Club America because

they gave us exactly what we needed - good competition.

"It was a very good game by our team. There was good passing by our team, good

defense, and a good overall game."

It proved an eventful debut for Malouda, who also played a part in Terry's late

strike after the former Lyon winger had hauled his new side level.

"We played a good game," Malouda said.

"It felt great to contribute to the team in this first game."

Club America coach Luis Fernando Tena was glad to see his side compete with

their illustrious opponents.

"Overall I was pleased with the way we played tonight," Tena said.

"Chelsea played better in the second half though and that was the