Chelsea’s summer was spoiled in Hong Kong, where Xabi Alonso’s side were beaten 1-0 by Juventus at the Kai Tak Sports Park on Wednesday thanks to a stunning second-half strike from Edon Zhegrova. The Kosovo substitute got the ball just outside the Chelsea box after the break and bent an arrow into the top corner.
It’s a second successive pre-season humbling for the Blues, whose ambitions have been noticeably recalibrated under their new manager. They lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney on August 1 after beating Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 on July 28. Mike Penders, Geovany Quenda, and Danny Welbeck all made their first appearances in blue on Wednesday, the teenage Portuguese winger particularly incisive. Quenda gave Chelsea their first glimpse of goal with a whipped delivery that Welbeck glanced marginally wide of the post.
Juventus, by contrast, were pragmatic throughout, content to sit in their defensive third and cut their hosts apart on the counter. The Old Lady have now registered a third successive pre-season win, keeping a clean sheet in each of those games. Chelsea’s remaining fixtures are unrelenting, with AC Milan up next in Jakarta on August 8, Johor Darul Ta’zim on August 9 and Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on August 15.
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is back in action with a cameo against the Bianconeri
Mykhailo Mudryk was introduced in the 82nd minute on his first appearance after a 20-month absence. The Ukraine international replaced Nicolas Jackson and had the final eight minutes, his first involvement for the Blues since November 2024.
The winger is back in training after a gruelling, reputation-bruising ordeal. The 25-year-old was suspended on a provisional basis and received a four-year ban from the Football Association after Meldonium, a drug commonly used to treat heart conditions, was discovered in a routine test he took in October 2024.
He has always pleaded not guilty, and maintained his fitness with personal trainers away from Chelsea’s Cobham base. Eventually, his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was resolved with the FA and WADA after amended regulations meant the low concentration found would no longer merit sanction.
Whether the 25-year-old is a key part of Alonso’s plans remains an open and rather sensitive question. Mudryk has scored 10 goals and 11 assists in 73 Chelsea appearances, including five goals and four assists in 53 Premier League appearances. The 25-year-old was given an extraordinary nine-year contract in 2022, and Chelsea have been inundated with expressions of interest ever since news of his reinstatement emerged.