Chelsea forward, Mykhailo Mudryk made his long awaited return to first team action on Wednesday, coming off the bench in a pre season friendly against Juventus in Hong Kong, his first appearance for the club in 20 months. The Ukraine international entered the game in the 82nd minute at a packed Kai Tak Stadium, where he was greeted with loud cheers from the 43,000 strong crowd, many of them wearing shirts bearing his name and number.

The comeback came just five days after his doping suspension officially ended. Mudryk had been sidelined since November 2024 following an adverse finding for the banned substance meldonium, a case that was eventually resolved through a settlement with the Football Association and the World Anti Doping Agency.

His return marked 615 days since his last competitive outing, when he scored for Chelsea in a Conference League win over Heidenheim.

Despite the limited minutes, the 25 year old winger looked sharp and eager to make an impact, pressing opponents and nearly connecting with an overhit pass from Estevao Willian before whipping in a dangerous late cross from the left flank.

His introduction followed an open training session and a further closed door session that convinced new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso the winger was ready to feature again.

Chelsea, however, could not find a way past Juventus, falling to their second straight defeat under Alonso. The only goal of the game came in the 68th minute, a stunning curling strike from Edon Zhegrova that beat goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

The Blues pushed for an equaliser but wasted several chances, with Danny Welbeck, Jamie Gittens and new signing Marco Palestra all failing to convert. Nicolas Jackson also featured, making his first Chelsea appearance in over a year following his loan spell at Bayern Munich, before making way for Mudryk in the second half.

Speaking after the match, Alonso described the occasion as an emotional one for the club and for Mudryk personally, noting that handing the winger his first minutes back was a moment he had looked forward to.

Photo Credit: The Independent