Drogba fires Blues to victory in Carson

Drogba left it late, just as Chelsea had done against Club America in northern California on Saturday on the way to a 2-1 victory.

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This time, the club's leading scorer from last season broke the deadlock in the 80th minute, driving home a Shaun Wright-Phillips cross in front of a crowd of 15,349.

Mourinho kept to his promise of making wholesale changes at half-time, just as he had done in Chelsea's opening pre-season game against the Mexicans.

The Portuguese boss had started with captain John Terry in central defence alongside Glen Johnson and with a midfield diamond in front of them, comprising Michael Essien, Frank Lampard alongside Steve Sidwell and Joe Cole at its apex.

Paolo Ferreira, filling in at left-back in the absence of both Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge, was the only player from the starting line-up to survive into the second half as Mourinho switched to the wing play of Florent Malouda and Arjen Robben supporting lone striker Didier Drogba and Claude Makelele anchoring midfield with Jon Obi Mikel and Shaun Wright-Phillips in front of him.

Essien had hit the crossbar in the first half but Chelsea began the second period in positive fashion, Malouda crossing from deep to find Drogba out wide on the right in the 49th minute.

The Ivorian sent in an angled shot that Suwon keeper Kim Dae Hwan parried into the path of Wright-Phillips whose shot was deflected for a corner.

Malouda drove in a fierce shot of his own two minutes later that the Korean keeper again chose to parry as Chelsea increased the pressure, before Drogba latched on to a neat through ball along the ground from Wright-Phillips and fired a low shot across Dae Hwan that struck the bottom of the post.

The Korean side finally joined the party when Brazilian striker Eduardo got a sight on goal but blasted high over the bar from the edge of the area.

Ferreira was finally substituted in the 70th minute, replaced by Scott Sinclair, and moments later Wright-Phillips again caused problems when he turned and shot right-footed from the corner of the six-yard box, only for Dae Hwan to block yet again at the near post.

Wright-Phillips finally carved open the breakthrough, though, with 10 minutes to go as he brought down Mikel's cross from midfield, looked at his options and sent in a curling chip to the back post for Drogba to rifle home.