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Mykhailo Mudryk made his long-awaited return to action, but Chelsea suffered a 1-0 defeat to Juventus in a hard-fought pre-season friendly in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian winger featured for the first time since November 2024 after serving a lengthy suspension, but his comeback ended in disappointment as Edon Zhegrova’s stunning second-half strike secured victory for the Italian giants.
Mudryk makes long-awaited comeback
Mudryk’s appearance marked his first outing in nearly 20 months after he was suspended following a positive test for the then banned substance meldonium.
The 25-year-old recently became eligible to play again after the Football Association concluded its anti-doping proceedings, allowing him to rejoin Chelsea’s first-team squad.
His return was one of the main talking points of the match, with Blues supporters eager to see the winger back in action after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Zhegrova strike settles contest
Despite enjoying spells of possession, Chelsea struggled to create clear-cut chances against Juventus.
The breakthrough eventually came through Zhegrova, whose superb long-range effort beat the Chelsea goalkeeper to hand Juventus the decisive goal in an otherwise closely contested encounter.
New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso will also take encouragement from the performance of youngster Geovany Quenda, who impressed during the opening half before being substituted at the break.
However, the defeat exposed areas that still require improvement as Chelsea continue preparations for the new Premier League season, which is now less than two weeks away.