Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk made his first appearance for the club in 20 months as a substitute in their 1-0 defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

The match, monitored by PUNCH Online, saw the Ukraine international come on in the 82nd minute at Kai Tak Stadium, where he received a warm reception from the 43,000 fans in attendance, just five days after his suspension for testing positive for the banned substance meldonium ended.

Mudryk, 25, immediately showed signs of his attacking intent, almost connecting with an overhit through-ball from Estevao Willian and pressing opponents while operating on the left wing.

He also delivered a late left-footed cross, marking his return to competitive action 615 days after his last appearance, when he scored in Chelsea’s Conference League victory over Heidenheim in November 2024.

The forward, who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, was welcomed by supporters, with fans wearing shirts bearing his name and number while messages celebrating his return appeared on the stadium screens.

Mudryk’s comeback followed his involvement in an open training session and another session held behind closed doors, which convinced new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso that he was ready to feature.

However, Chelsea suffered their second consecutive defeat under Alonso after Edon Zhegrova’s superb curling strike in the 68th minute secured victory for Juventus.

The Blues created several opportunities but failed to find the net, with Danny Welbeck, Jamie Gittens and Italian full-back Marco Palestra among those unable to convert their chances.

Nicolas Jackson also returned to action following his loan spell at Bayern Munich, making his first Chelsea appearance in more than a year before he was replaced by Mudryk after a 37-minute cameo.