Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes it would be a “failure” if the Blues fail to win the UEFA Conference League this season, following their 3-1 victory over Astana in an extremely cold Almaty Central Stadium on Thursday evening, Soccernet.football reports.
Marc Guiu opened the scoring after 14 minutes with a fine solo effort, and an Aleksandr Marochkin own goal shortly after doubled the lead. Renato Veiga’s header made it 3-0 before Marin Tomasov pulled one back for Astana before halftime.
Dewsbury-Hall, who has been one of Chelsea’s ever-presents in the Conference League, contributed with an assist for the Blues’ third goal. In an interview with TNT Sports after the win, the 26-year-old acknowledged that it had been a tough match but the players adapted well.
“Very tough, the coldest I’ve ever played in. You warm up a little in the game, so not too bad,” Dewsbury-Hall said.
Asked to comment on the pitch, he added: “Considering how cold it was, it wasn’t too bad. It was hard in places, but on the whole, it was OK.”
Dewsbury-Hall expressed his appreciation for the Chelsea fans who traveled to Kazakhstan, acknowledging their support when asked if he had noticed them in the stands.
“I did,” he replied. “It is a credit to everyone that came to the game. A long journey, so thank you very much for the support.”
With the win over Astana, Chelsea maintained their perfect record in the competition, having recorded five wins from five matches. They currently sit on top of the Conference League table and Dewsbury-Hall revealed that there is only one acceptable outcome for the Blues.
“[We want] to win it, simple as that. If we don’t win it, then it’s a failure,” he concluded.