Chelsea embarrass Arsenal 3-0 in Beijing

World
Europe

By CGTN's Zhu Mandan

Chelsea played the pre-season friendly London Derby here on Saturday as the Premier League champions won a one-sided match. They crushed Arsenal 3-0 at the Bird's Nest, Beijing National Stadium.

This is the first time the two sides have met outside the British Isles. And it is also Chelsea's first visit to the China mainland since the summer Olympics of 2008, when they won matches in Guanghzou and Macao.

The Bird's Nest, which opened for the 2008 Olympics, was filled with an excited crowd. The game was one-sided on the pitch, but it did give fans in the Middle Kingdom the chance to see the two clubs in the Premier League live and up close, a far cry from last year, when the Manchester derby was abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch.

Fans gather outside Bird's Nest, on July 22, 2017. /VCG Photo

Growing fan bases away from England is a huge aspect of running a Premier League club. Now, more clubs are coming to the world's most populous nation to do just that. Marketing may be important but it all comes down to what happens on the pitch, and the Arsenal will have plenty to think about as Chelsea romped to a three-nil win over the Gunners.

The British pairs are not alone in China with Dortmund, AC Milan and Bayern Munich also in the country. Up next for Chelsea is Singapore while Arsenal fly back home after the loss.

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