Juventus beat Chelsea 1-0 in Hong Kong, with Edon Zhegrova deciding it in the 68th minute with a curling finish into the top corner. The bigger Chelsea subplot came later, when Mykhailo Mudryk made his first appearance since November 2024 after his anti-doping proceedings were resolved. It also left Chelsea with consecutive defeats in pre-season.
Chelsea's attack still looked blunt
Chelsea had 57% possession and won five corners to Juventus' one, but the ball did not turn into enough danger. They managed four shots on target from nine attempts, which fits the larger problem in this pre-season spell: territory without enough bite.
Xabi Alonso told skysports.com: "Chelsea failed to ramp up their pre-season preparations as Xabi Alonso's side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong thanks to Edon Zhegrova's stunning second-half strike."
The performance was not lifeless, and there were some positives to point at, but the finish remained absent when it mattered. Juventus were comfortable enough to protect their lead, and Chelsea still looked like a side waiting for their attack to sharpen.
Juventus leave with another clean sheet
The result also extends a tidy run for Juventus, who kept their fourth clean sheet in as many summer games. That is early pre-season territory, so nobody should dress it up as proof of anything bigger, but it does show a side already set up to be hard to break down.
Zhegrova's goal mattered because it was the only real turning point in a match Chelsea were supposed to control more often than not. Instead, the Italian side took the moment, and Chelsea were left with more possession than payoff.
The next chance for Chelsea to answer comes in their next pre-season outing, but this one in Hong Kong will sit in the middle of the argument about where the side is right now.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
