Chelsea sealed a fifth UEFA Conference League win of the season as they secured a routine 3-1 win away in a freezing-cold Almaty.
Despite the mammoth 6,000km trip to Kazakhstan, a rotated Blues side hit the ground running, as Marc Guiu slotted them in front after 14 minutes.
Guiu was heavily involved again – as Chelsea doubled their lead four minutes later – with Astana defender Aleksandr Marochkin forcing Pedro Neto’s cross into his own net under pressure from the Spaniard.
Renato Veiga headed home Kiernan Dewsbury’s corner just before the break – to put the result beyond real doubt – before Astana captain Marin Tomasov curled home in first-half added time.
Tomasov’s intervention did not trigger a second-half revival as Chelsea effectively booked their place in the Round of 16 automatically for 2025.
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Astana vs. Chelsea final score
| Result | Goal scorers | |
| Astana | 1 | Tomasv 45′ |
| Chelsea | 3 | Guiu 14′ Marochkin OG 18′, Veiga 39′ |
Location: Almaty Ortalyk Stadion (Almaty, Kazakhstan)
Referee: Sven Jablonski (GER)
Keep track of every game and every goal via SN’s live Premier League scoreboard
Starting lineups:
Astana (4-3-3, right to left): 74. Mukhammedzhan Seysen (GK) — 2. Karlo Bartolec, 5. Kipras Kazukolovas, 3. Branimir Kalaica, 6. Yan Vorogovskiy — 7. Max Ebong, 22. Aleksandr Marochkin, 45. Aleksa Amanovic — 10. Marin Tomasov, 9. Geoffrey Chinedu, 28. Ousmane Camara
Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): 12. Filip Jorgensen (GK) — 34. Josh Acheampong, 2. Axel Disasi, 4. Tosin Adarabioyo, 40. Renato Veiga — 51. Samuel Rak-Sakyi, 22. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall — 7. Pedro Neto, 17. Carney Chukwuemeka, 32. Tyrique George — 38. Marc Guiu
Astana vs. Chelsea stats
| Astana | Stat | Chelsea |
| 6 | Shots | 23 |
| 3 | Shots on target | 12 |
| 0.27 | Expected goals | 1.19 |
| 30% | Possession | 70% |
| 226 | Passes | 628 |
| 2 | Corners | 4 |
| 7 | Fouls | 8 |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 0 |
| 3 | Offsides | 4 |
Astana vs. Chelsea live updates
FT: Astana 1-3 Chelsea
All over in Almaty as Chelsea cruise on and effectively book their automatic spot in the Round of 16.
Victory in Kazakhstan! 👊🔵#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/Xz5iygkm7v
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 12, 2024
45 mins: 3-1….ASTANA hit back!
A glimmer of hope for the hosts as captain Marin Tomasov cuts in off the right and curls past Filip Jorgensen!
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What a strike 💥
Astana get a goal back just before half-time with a cracker from Tomasov 🔥
Game on…?📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/10kjvpc29S
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 12, 2024
39 mins: 3-0 CHELSEA!!!
Surely game over for the Blues as Renato Veiga heads home Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner to make it 3-0!
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Chelsea are running away with this one ⚡️
Renato Veiga puts them 3-0 up!
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/CfA2jzzUz0
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 12, 2024
18 mins: 2-0 CHELSEA!!!
A quickfire double for the visitors! Pedro Neto’s near post cross is bundled home by Guiu — but the final touch came off Aleksandr Marochkin for an own goal.
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14 mins: GOAL FOR CHELSEA!!!
Great work from Marc Guiu to burst away from two Astana challenges in the right channel and the former Barcelona striker beats Mukhammedzhan Seysen at his near post.
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Solo effort puts Chelsea ahead 😍
Marc Guiu makes an impact from the start as his marvellous run and finish puts the Blues ahead in Kazakhstan 🥶
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/dlowgxRqPQ
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 12, 2024
MORE: Enzo Maresca’s relatable reaction to Marc Guiu’s super-casual solo goal for Chelsea
Astana vs. Chelsea kickoff time
This Conference League league phase match kicks off from Almaty Ortalyk Stadion on Thursday, December 12 at 8:30 p.m. local time in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Thu, Dec. 12 | 10:30 a.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Thu, Dec. 12 | 7:30 a.m. PT |
| UK | Thu, Dec. 12 | 3:30 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Fri, Dec. 13 | 2:30 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Thu, Dec. 12 | 9:00 p.m. IST |
Astana vs. Chelsea lineups, team news, starting 11
With the Kazakhstan Premier League having concluded in mid-November — Astana lost out to Kairat in the title race by a single point — Grigori Babayan’s team have only played one game in a month: their 1-1 home draw with Vitoria in this competition.
The coach should at least be able to field a first-choice side for this game, with their lack of playing time keeping injuries to a minimum.
Astana XI (4-3-3, right to left): Seysen (GK) — Bartolec, Kazukolovas, Kalaica, Vorogovskiy — Ebong, Marochkin, Amanovic — Tomasov, Chinedu, Camara
Astana subs: Bystrov, Kuat, Ahanonu, Beysebekov, Osei, Astanov, Zarutskiy, Basmanov, Gripshi, Karimov, Condric, Zhaksylykov
MORE: All the latest Chelsea news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings
Maresca has rotated his side heavily as he usually does for these Conference League matches.
The coach confirmed that young defender Josh Acheampong was in line to start for the first time, and the teenager gets the nod at right-back. There are also places in the lineup for Tyrique George and Samuel Rak-Sakyi.
Cole Palmer is not in the squad for the league phase, so he will get some rest. Romeo Lavia is also ineligible but would likely have sat this one out anyway after feeling some discomfort during the win at Spurs.
Cesare Casadei is suspended after his red card against Heidenheim.
Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Jorgensen (GK) — Acheampong, Disasi, Adarabioyo, Veiga — Rak-Sakyi, Dewsbury-Hall — Neto, Chukwuemeka, George — Guiu
Chelsea subs: Dyer, Vale, Bergstrom, Olise, Merric, Ampah, Murray-Campbell, Wilson, Mheuka
Astana vs. Chelsea live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this UEFA Conference League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
