'Wanted his shirt': Chesterfield player shares which Chelsea star he aimed to swap kits with after the FA Cup tie
Chesterfield’s Akwasi Asante revealed that Hakim Ziyech was the one Chelsea player he wanted to trade shirts with on Saturday.
Asante confessed his desire to grab the Moroccan’s jersey to the club media after Chesterfield lost 5-1 in the FA Cup to the European Champions.
Chelsea taking the challenge very seriously
The National League leaders were aiming to produce the cup upsets of all cup upsets at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Based on Chelsea’s team sheet, they had no plans of allowing such a fairy tale story to occur.
Thomas Tuchel started the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic and Callum Hudson-Odoi, an indication of his respect to the competition.
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He also brought on Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kai Havertz and Ross Barkley as reinforcements.
Ziyech featured for the entire contest and converted the host’s fifth goal of the tie from the penalty spot.
Asanate’s dreams come true
Not to be outdone by his beloved player in blue, Asante gave the travelling Chesterfield pack something to savour by scoring ten minutes from time.
After the game concluded, the 29-year-old sort after securing Ziyech’s strip.
“It’s nice to be able to say you’ve scored at Stamford Bridge. Not many people come here and score so it’s something obviously I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” said the striker.
“I’ll be able to tell my kids and grandkids I scored at Stamford Bridge.
“Swapping shirts with Hakim Ziyech as well, that’s a special moment for me. I said I wanted his shirt before the game.
“I spoke to him briefly during the game. It’s just an unbelievable experience.”
Differing experience for Chesterfield and Chelsea
The whole occasion for the Spireites was one, wonderful rollercoaster of emotion.
Scoreline aside, it was an evening their fans, their players and their coaching staff will never forget.
For Chelsea, they managed to get the job done in a professional manner.
They did so with two debutants in the team, goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli and academy graduate Lewis Hall.
Saul Niguez put on another strong performance, reminding everyone of his qualities.
The Blues are back in cup action again on Wednesday, as they travel to Tottenham Hotspur for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash.
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