Mykhailo Mudryk returned as Chelsea suffered a second successive pre-season friendly loss in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The Blues were seeking to bounce back from Saturday’s last-gasp 2-1 defeat by 10-man rivals Tottenham in the Sydney Super Cup, but were beaten 1-0 at Kai Tak Stadium thanks to a superb second-half strike from Edon Zhegrova. A largely quiet game was most notable for Mudryk’s comeback, with the Ukraine winger introduced off the bench for the final stages as he made his first appearance since November 2024 after resolving his anti-doping disciplinary proceedings with the Football Association (FA).
Xabi Alonso also handed debuts to new signings Danny Welbeck and Geovany Quenda, while there were bright performances from the likes of Marco Palestra. Jeremie Boga impressed for Juventus against his former club, though the Serie A giants will wait to field recent recruits Randal Kolo Muani and Kerim Alajbegovic. Chelsea will now move on to a friendly double-header this weekend, facing AC Milan in Jakarta on Saturday before heading to Malaysia to meet Johor Darul Ta'zim on Sunday.
They then return to west London for Alonso’s first home game in charge at Stamford Bridge against former club Real Sociedad. Follow Chelsea vs Juventus reaction live below!
Chelsea vs Juventus highlights
- Mudryk makes first appearance since November 2024
- GOAL! Zhegrova fires Juventus into second-half lead
- Goalless at half-time as Quenda impresses on debut
- Why Palmer and Colwill did not play at all for Chelsea
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:34 , George Flood
A second consecutive defeat for Chelsea under Xabi Alonso on their pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, following Saturday’s last-gasp 2-1 loss to rivals Tottenham and a chaotic 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
Work for the Blues to do before they face more Serie A giants in AC Milan at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday.
They also meet Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Sunday.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:29 , George Flood
Full-time
Defeat for Chelsea in Hong Kong thanks to that sensational second-half strike from Edon Zhegrova.
Mykhailo Mudryk’s return will make the headlines.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:25 , George Flood
94 mins: That should be it for Chelsea’s hopes as a long-range drive from Lavia sails over the crossbar.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:24 , George Flood
90 mins: Into four minutes of added time in Hong Kong.
Can Chelsea salvage a last-gasp equaliser to take this to penalties?
It’s Juve who are pushing now to double their advantage, with Yildiz’s corner from the left cleared.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:22 , George Flood
89 mins: Juventus are stretched in the closing stages as the physical Delap does well to release Mudryk, whose cross from the byline is gathered by Perin.
Now Estevao makes his way into the box and has an effort blocked.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:21 , George Flood
Mykhailo Mudryk’s first Chelsea outing for 20 months, since he scored in a 2-0 win over German club Heidenheim in the Conference League in November 2024...
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:16 , George Flood
85 mins: Estevao with a nice turn and run, but his final pass intended for the path of Mudryk is overhit.
The Brazilian has been bright off the bench for Chelsea today.
They will be thrilled to have him back fit after that hamstring injury that curtailed his debut season in west London.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:14 , George Flood
83 mins: Mudryk is now on for his first Chelsea appearance since November 2024, replacing Jackson.
Estevao’s whipped free-kick is easily held by Perin.
Now the Juventus goalkeeper makes a comfortable save from Satpayev.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:12 , George Flood
78 mins: Essugo and Lavia are struggling to drive Chelsea forward here in search of an equaliser, with the stand-in Blues skipper almost caught on the ball as Juventus still press hard and effectively close off the space.
Jackson is currently Chelsea’s biggest threat, earning a free-kick in a promising position.
An angry clash follows between Bremer and Lavia.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:09 , George Flood
74 mins: Rugani has replaced the booked Gatti in the Juventus defence.
Chelsea come forward again but can’t find a way through this stubborn Juve side with just over 15 minutes to play.
The crowd has been announced at just over 43,000 at Kai Tak Stadium.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:05 , George Flood
72 mins: Essugo is a somewhat surprise choice as Chelsea captain following that latest raft of substitutions.
We now have a completely different Blues XI on the field to the one that started the game.
Presumably that means no return for Mudryk off the bench just yet, unless Alonso gives him a few minutes at the end.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:03 , George Flood
71 mins: Back under way and Juventus defender Gatti has just been booked for dragging back Jackson.
Chelsea 0-1 Juventus
14:02 , George Flood
68 mins: The opening goal is followed immediately by another hydration break, during which a Mexican wave breaks out in the stands.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Juventus | Edon Zhegrova 67'
14:00 , George Flood
67 mins: What a goal to break the deadlock in Hong Kong!
Kosovo winger Zhegrova beats Penders all ends up with a brilliant curling effort that nestles in the top corner.
No stopping that one.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:59 , George Flood
65 mins: It’s actually seven Chelsea subs - Anselmino, Delap, Lavia, Essugo, Satpayev, Acheampong and Subuloye replace Palestra, Fofana, Hato, Caicedo, Nicoll-Jazuli, Gittens and Joao Pedro.
Now Bremer heads just over for Juventus.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:56 , George Flood
63 mins: Palestra is looking tired for Chelsea after a busy day up and down that right flank.
He’s caught in possession and Juventus pour forward, with David’s low cross flashing dangerously across the six-yard box.
The ball falls safe and the offside flag is up.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:55 , George Flood
62 mins: Fofana’s penalty appeals for handball following the corner are waved away before Caicedo’s own cynical foul to halt a Juventus counter-attack sees him join Douglas Luiz in the book.
Some boos for Douglas Luiz from the pro-Chelsea crowd as he then makes way for Teun Koopmeiners.
Juan Cabal and Kenan Yildiz are also coming on for Juventus.
Six more Chelsea changes are imminent, meanwhile.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:53 , George Flood
60 mins: Juventus are testing Chelsea again with an hour gone, with Penders parrying a dangerous-looking cross from Zhegrova intended for Douglas Luiz in his first real involvement of the game.
Chelsea break at speed and have a corner after a superb Estevao pass.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:50 , George Flood
57 mins: A bout of Juve pressure leads to nothing before tempers flare as Jackson does well before being hacked down by Douglas Luiz on the counter.
The Chelsea players are furious with a very cynical challenge that brings the Brazilian a yellow card.
Jackson looked in real pain at first, but is quickly back on his feet.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:47 , George Flood
54 mins: Lovely feet from Joao Pedro to bamboozle a few pink shirts, with a foul inevitable.
Chelsea are moving the ball well at pace at the moment.
A reminder that this game will go straight to penalties if it ends in a draw after 90 minutes.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:45 , George Flood
52 mins: Chelsea have upped the intensity following those half-time changes, with Jackson looking to impress.
A couple of quick-fire corners from the right come to nothing.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:42 , George Flood
50 mins: Palestra has been tearing forward early in this second half, linking up well with Jackson but failing to trouble Perin.
Now he is denied by the replacement goalkeeper, who almost gifts a chance to Gittens.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:41 , George Flood
Bremer, Zhegrova, David and Owusu are also on for Juventus.
They replace Boga, Cambiaso, Milik and Locatelli.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:39 , George Flood
A change of goalkeeper from Chelsea as Mike Penders replaces Robert Sanchez.
Estevao, Mamadou Sarr and Nicolas Jackson also replace Geovany Quenda, Tosin Adarabioyo and Danny Welbeck.
Juventus have also made a change in goal, where Mattia Perin replaces Michele Di Gregorio.
Back under way...
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:35 , George Flood
Nicolas Jackson looks to be among the Chelsea substitutes coming on for the second half.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:26 , George Flood
Goalless at the break in Hong Kong.
Not a classic first half by any stretch of the imagination, but it was competitive and there were bright signs for Chelsea - primarily the lively display from debutant winger Geovany Quenda.
Marco Palestra has also looked promising at right-back, while 16-year-old Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli has shown some composed touches in midfield.
The defending still looks erratic though and Sanchez still doesn’t fill you with any confidence.
How many of those 21 substitutes will Xabi Alonso introduce at the break?
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:19 , George Flood
Half-time
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:19 , George Flood
48 mins: Chelsea come under more late first-half pressure, with Caicedo denying Boga the chance to test Sanchez again after more fine work from Miretti.
The Blues look to counter at pace, but Palestra and Welbeck can’t quite combine.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:18 , George Flood
47 mins: A really nice fluid attacking move from Juventus in first-half stoppage time, but they are just lacking that final ball still.
Sanchez cleans up easily in the end, but Chelsea looked sluggish again there defensively.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:16 , George Flood
44 mins: It’s Chelsea’s turn to counter now as half-time approaches as Celik comes over from left-back to do enough to evade any issues caused by Joao Pedro.
Now Milik pulls a shot wide of Sanchez’s left-hand post.
Four minutes of added time have been signalled, which seems rather excessive.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:14 , George Flood
42 mins: Welbeck is almost in at one end before Juventus come forward on the counter-attack through Miretti and the impressive Boga’s effort is repelled low to his left by Sanchez.
Hato blocks the follow-up.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:13 , George Flood
40 mins: Rather wasteful from Chelsea as they go short with a free-kick opportunity that goes nowhere, rather than delivering a ball into the box.
Alert defending then from Palestra to clear under huge pressure from Milik.
Chelsea can’t clear their lines properly and Caicedo has a little go at Boga, whose cross from the byline is held by Sanchez.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:09 , George Flood
36 mins: Panic in the Chelsea box created by Boga’s curling delivery from the left, which an unconvincing Sanchez cannot cut out as the ball ends up at the feet of Cambiaso.
A brief bout of chaos ensues, until 16-year-old Nicoll-Jazuli keeps calm to mop up the danger on the edge of the area.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:05 , George Flood
32 mins: Joao Pedro comes deeper to link the play and finds Quenda, whose rushed first-time shot is blocked.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:03 , George Flood
30 mins: No goals after half an hour in Hong Kong, but Chelsea fans should be really liking what they are seeing from Quenda so far.
That’s a signing that has flown under the radar somewhat due to having been agreed last year, while he was unable to travel to Australia last week due to a minor injury.
Many might consider the 19-year-old as one for the future, but he’s looking ready now on this first-half evidence.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
13:00 , George Flood
28 mins: Another nifty touch from Quenda and Caicedo tries to find Joao Pedro with a ball into the box, which is headed away.
Chelsea maintain their pressure and Gittens slaloms his way down the left before delivering a dangerous ball in towards Joao Pedro that is claimed by Juventus goalkeeper Di Gregorio.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:57 , George Flood
26 mins: Back off and running at Kai Tak Sports Park, where the crowd have been raising the noise levels during the hydration break.
A hopeful ball forward from Juventus is easily gathered on the edge of his box by Sanchez.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:55 , George Flood
25 mins: Juve’s latest attack through the middle is comfortably thwarted before we enter a first-half hydration break in hot and humid Hong Kong, where they are now watering that dismal pitch.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:52 , George Flood
22 mins: Palestra and Quenda link up well again down the Chelsea right to force a corner, though the delivery is disappointing and easily cleared at the front post.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:51 , George Flood
20 mins: A rare moment of danger for Chelsea as ex-Newcastle and Bournemouth defender Kelly sprays a fine pass out to Cambiaso, who cuts in off the right flank.
His pass into the box takes a heavy touch off Miretti, leaving Sanchez scrambling at his back post.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:48 , George Flood
17 mins: Chelsea look good at the moment, passing the ball well and pressing with real intensity out of possession.
Welbeck has been very busy and Quenda bright, with captain Caicedo also heavily involved.
Palestra is getting forward well down the right flank, though young Nicoll-Jazuli can’t quite pick out the run of Welbeck as his lofted pass sails harmlessly behind for a goal kick.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:44 , George Flood
12 mins: Better from Chelsea as Quenda takes on his man before an enticing cross to the back post just evades both Welbeck and Joao Pedro.
Now Quenda cuts inside and fires well off target.
He looks lively on debut.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:42 , George Flood
10 mins: Not much action to report just at the moment, Chelsea are monopolising possession but struggling to do much with it amid a swarm of pink shirts.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:38 , George Flood
6 mins: Incisive passing football from Juventus ends in an effort from captain Locatelli that is easily dealt with by Sanchez.
Joao Pedro is now limping after a fine little flick in the middle of the park was followed by a rough challenge.
He should shake that off.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:34 , George Flood
3 mins: Kalulu looks to release Milik, who is flagged offside as he collects a lofted pass into the right channel.
Juventus have started the better in those pink away shirts.
Chelsea 0-0 Juventus
12:33 , George Flood
2 mins: Palestra vs Boga has been the story of this first couple of minutes, with the new Chelsea signing now hacked down by the ex-Blues winger.
That’s an intriguing battle to watch, with Boga looking eager to make an impression against his former club.
Chelsea vs Juventus
12:32 , George Flood
1 min: Under way in Hong Kong and a loose early touch from Palestra almost puts the new Chelsea right-back in trouble under instant pressure from Boga.
However, he just about evades the danger.
Players are out
12:28 , George Flood
The players have emerged from the tunnel at Kai Tak Sports Park, where Manchester City played Inter Milan at the weekend.
Bayern Munich vs Aston Villa will also be held at the venue on Friday.
As we said, the pitch looks poor and that will again be a key concern for Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso.
Kick-off approaching
12:26 , George Flood
Final preparations in Hong Kong, where Moises Caicedo captains Chelsea.
Like in Sydney, Chelsea will be playing on an iffy-looking pitch at Kai Tak Sports Park this afternoon.
Jeremie Boga out to haunt former club Chelsea
12:15 , George Flood
As mentioned, Jeremie Boga starts against his former club for Juventus today.
The French-born Ivorian winger joined Chelsea as a youngster in 2009 and made one solitary senior appearance for the club, sent for loan spells at Rennes, Granada and Birmingham before heading to Italy with Sassuolo for £3.5m in 2018.
He also played for Atalanta before joining Juventus from French club Nice earlier this year on an initial loan deal that has since been converted into a permanent transfer.
Boga’s only appearance for then champions Chelsea came in a shock start at home against Burnley on the opening day of the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, when he was substituted after just 18 minutes following an early red card for Gary Cahill in a game that the Blues - then managed by Antonio Conte - lost 3-2.
