Frank Lampard suffered his first defeat as Chelsea boss as Kawasaki Frontale scored late to snatch victory in Yokohama.
Leandro Damiao headed in at the back post as the hosts took advantage of a rare opportunity, pouncing on a defensive mistake from David Luiz to seal an unlikely pre-season win.
On an otherwise disappointing afternoon for Chelsea, Christian Pulisic made his debut as a second-half substitute.
Granted an extended summer break following the Gold Cup, Pulisic was named among the substitutes after joining the tour late and was thrown on in place of Mason Mount in the second half.
That was the highlight in an otherwise uninspiring performance from Chelsea, who were lifted by the introduction of Ross Barkley at the interval but still failed to find the breakthrough at the Nissan Stadium.
Barkley carved out their best two chances of the match, first finding Mount who sent a curling strike just past the far post before Kenedy steered another through pass narrowly wide.
Olivier Giroud, on for Michy Batshuayi after his latest failed audition, drew a smart save from a free-kick and then headed into the goalkeeper's palms before Damiao struck late to clinch victory.
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Moments away from kick off at the Nissan Stadium
Chelsea are sporting their white, Mod-inspired away kit for the first time.
Here's a reminder of the teams...
Kawasaki Frontale: Jung, Morita, Taniguchi, Jesiel, Noborizato, Tanaka, Shimoda, Abe, Ienaga, Saito, Kobayashi.
Chelsea: Caballero, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Zouma, Alonso, Kovacic, Jorginho, Mount, Kenedy, Pedro, Batshuayi.
'Start as we mean to go on'
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has challenged his side to be at full throttle from the outset against Japanese champions Kawasaki Frontale in Yokohama.
"They are a team that are champions in their league, a team that has energy and speed and also quality, and they will give us the type of challenge we need," the Lampard told Chelsea's official website.
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"It will be a great, competitive match against a very good team and an important part of our pre-season. It’s a pleasure to be here and we are looking forward to the match.
"We are at a stage now where we have to increase our levels and our quality. Beyond that we respect the opportunity to come to Japan and play against the top team in the country and test ourselves.
"To play against different styles of teams is very important because we have that in the Premier League and the Champions League. This is a start for us, but we need to start as we mean to go on."
Chelsea's schedule
The heart is a Zoum, shoots up through the stony Mount...
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No Kante (fitness) or Kepa in the squad for Chelsea, while Abraham drops out entirely.
Pulisic is listed among the substitutes and is expected to make his Blues debut from the bench.
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Subs: Cumming, Zappacosta, Christensen, Emerson, Tomori, Drinkwater, Barkley, Pulisic, Palmer, Bakayoko, Giroud
Team news
Chelsea XI: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Zouma, Alonso; Kovacic, Jorginho; Mount, Kenedy, Pedro; Batshuayi.
'When he speaks, everybody is listening'
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has been talking about Frank Lampard's immediate impact at Chelsea.
"Frank is coming with ideas and a lot of positive energy to make us improve in training," he said.
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"We are working hard in training and tactically also, I think we all agree we are enjoying the training. That’s a good thing, and when he speaks, everybody is listening. He’s a Chelsea legend. Everybody respects him and we are looking forward to beginning the season because he will help us improve."
How Chelsea could line up
Chelsea supporters will be eager to catch a glimpse of new arrival Christian Pulisic, who joined up with his team-mates earlier this week after helping the United States reach the final of the Gold Cup.
He is expected to feature from the bench in Yokohama.
N'Golo Kante missed both friendlies in Ireland due to a lingering knee injury, but has made the trip to Japan and Lampard expressed hope that he will feature in one of the next two matches.
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Chelsea are without Willian, who missed the Copa America Final with Brazil due to his own knee problem.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Antonio Rudiger and Reece James are all sidelined, while Ethan Ampadu was left at home as he prepares for a loan move.
Lampard is likely to continue to experiment with his squad and potentially field different XIs in each half.
Predicted Chelsea starting XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Luiz, Alonso; Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Barkley, Mount; Giroud.
Good morning!
Welcome to Standard Sport's LIVE coverage of Chelsea's pre-season meeting with Kawasaki Frontale in Yokohama.
How will Lampard's men fare in their third friendly under the new boss?
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Stay tuned for team news...