Seventeen-year-old forward Dastan Satpayev made an immediate impact for Chelsea during their pre-season friendly against the Western Sydney Wanderers at Accor Stadium. Representing the Blues as a trialist, the Kazakh international found the back of the net just six minutes into the match. The goal was set up by teammate Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, who delivered a precise through ball that Satpayev converted with an unstoppable finish to open the scoring in the Sydney Super Cup fixture.
Although he is currently training with Xabi Alonso's squad in London, Satpayev is not yet an official Chelsea player. He signed with the club from Kairat Almaty as a 16-year-old in a deal valued at up to £3.3 million, but he will only be officially registered once he reaches his 18th birthday on August 12. By utilizing trialist forms and securing permission from his parents and his former club, the youngster has been able to participate in the pre-season tour.
The match against Western Sydney Wanderers saw a flurry of activity in the first half, which ended with both teams tied at 2-2. Following Satpayev’s early strike, the Wanderers leveled the score through Anthony Pantazopoulos in the 14th minute and took the lead via an Aydan Hammond solo effort in the 32nd minute. Chelsea responded in the 38th minute when Reggie Walsh set up Dario Essugo for the equalizer.
Satpayev, who started the match on the left wing, has already earned eight senior caps for Kazakhstan, including a goal against Belgium in a FIFA World Cup qualifier last November. During his time at Kairat Almaty, he recorded 26 goals in 57 appearances, including four goals in last season's UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. Should he eventually feature in the Premier League, he would become the first Kazakh player to do so, and he is currently working to impress manager Xabi Alonso during the pre-season tour.
