Mykhailo Mudryk made his long-awaited return to action for Chelsea in a 1-0 friendly defeat by Juventus in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with head coach Xabi Alonso praising the winger's 'emotional' comeback from a doping ban.
Mudryk's return
Mudryk came on as a substitute for Nicolas Jackson in the 82nd minute, drawing applause from his teammates and loud cheers from Chelsea fans in the 43,575 crowd at Kai Tak Sports Park. The Ukraine international had not played a competitive match since November 2024, having been provisionally suspended after returning an 'adverse finding' for the banned substance meldonium. However, the 25-year-old was cleared to return after resolving the case with the Football Association.
Despite a lively cameo on the left side, Mudryk was unable to stop Juventus taking the spoils courtesy of a wonderful second-half strike from Kosovo international Edon Zhegrova.
'Really pleased for him. It was emotional for everyone from the club to see him back,' Alonso said after the match. 'He was thrilled, for sure. After such a long period, to be back on the pitch, it was a great feeling for him.'
Match action
Neither side could find the breakthrough in a drab first half as two experimental lineups struggled to create clearcut chances. Danny Welbeck could have scored on his first appearance in a Chelsea shirt but failed to direct a flicked header on target. Early in the second half, a long ball from Moisés Caicedo put new signing Marco Palestra in on goal, but his tame shot could not beat Mattia Perin.
Juventus broke the deadlock with a moment of magic in the 68th minute, Kenan Yildiz squaring for Zhegrova, who curled a stunning strike into the top corner from outside the box. Both sides rang the changes, but Chelsea could not find a cutting edge.
'I think we started pretty well,' Alonso said. 'The first 30, 35 minutes, we have played with good control, we have created a few chances. And the second half, there were many changes. The game was not that controlled and stable with all the substitutions. Unluckily we didn't get to win, but for sure it's the process, it's minutes for everyone.'
Milan and Inter honour Baresi
Chelsea will play Milan in Jakarta on Saturday, before rounding off preseason with games against Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim and Spain's Real Sociedad. Meanwhile, in Perth, Christopher Nkunku converted a late penalty as Milan salvaged a draw with Inter in a lacklustre preseason derby. The match was the first for Milan since the death of Franco Baresi, who captained the club during a golden era in the 1980s and 1990s. There was a minute's silence before the match, with players from both teams linking arms.
In front of 52,310 fans in Australia, Serie A champions Inter appeared to be claiming the bragging rights after Federico Dimarco's strike from close range in the 52nd minute. But Nkunku was brought down by Carlos Augusto in the 83rd minute before squaring the contest with a superbly taken penalty.
