By IANS
Los Angeles : Former England captain David Beckham finally made his debut for his new club, Los Angeles Galaxy, when he came on as a substitute for the last 12 minutes of the 1-0 defeat by Chelsea.
The 32-year-old England midfielder, who has been struggling with an ankle injury, got a good reception from the capacity 27,000 crowd at the Home Depot Center Saturday, reports BBC.
But he was unable to turn the tide in favour of the US club after John Terry scored for the London outfit in the 49th minute. The match was part of Chelsea's pre-season US tour.
Asked to describe his feelings, Beckham said: "It was very emotional – just proud of the way people reacted to me personally.
"The reaction to me when I just either take my top off or kick the ball has been incredible but it makes me feel a little bit embarrassed at times when I get that sort of reaction.
"But it's incredible and I have to thank the people and the fans for coming out to watch the game."
Beckham made a few deft touches in his brief sojourn on the pitch and managed to withstand a heavy challenge from Chelsea new boy Steve Sidwell.
"I'm not fit and I haven't trained since I have been out here," added Beckham. "The ankle is swollen and we'll see how it is tomorrow.
"It is not going to go away for a week or so but it's making progress, it's not a serious injury."
Among those in the crowd were Beckham's wife Victoria, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and actors Katie Holmes, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Love Hewitt, John Hurt and Ray Winstone.
Chelsea captain Terry scored the only goal just after the break, firing in a powerful shot after being lined up by Joe Cole.
"LA played the game with a lot of passion, I think maybe they waited to show David Beckham they have a team," said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. "They were highly motivated and they gave us a hard game. I think this is the correct attitude to play football."