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A stunning curling effort from Edon Zhegrova was enough to hand Juventus a 1-0 victory over Chelsea in a pre-season friendly, beating Marco Palestra’s Premier League side.

The Bianconeri handed a start to new signing Zeki Celik in Hong Kong, but apart from that, this remained a long way from the team Luciano Spalletti is expected to rely on during the season.

Andrea Cambiaso miskicked from a promising position, while Danny Welbeck glanced a Geovany Quenda cross just wide, and Pierre Kalulu made an important intervention to cut out a Marco Palestra pull-back.

In Hong Kong, China, on August 5, Jeremie Boga of Juventus and Marco Palestra of Chelsea battled for the ball during the Chelsea v Juventus pre-season friendly at Kai Tak Stadium.

Jamie Gittens failed to make proper contact with a Caicedo assist to test Michele Di Gregorio, then Jeremie Boga produced a couple of threatening runs just before half-time and forced a difficult save.

Italy international Palestra also showed impressive acceleration and forced the goalkeeper into action.

Edon Zhegrova celebrated after scoring for Juventus during the Chelsea v Juventus pre-season friendly at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, China, on August 5.

Juventus went in front through a moment of outstanding quality when Kenan Yildiz laid the ball into Zhegrova’s path, and the winger whipped a sensational left-footed curler from the edge of the box into the far top corner. It was an unstoppable strike and an unusual sight for a player who had not found the net in almost two years.

There was also some friction between Gleison Bremer and Romeo Lavia, while Chelsea welcomed back Mykhaylo Mudryk in emotional scenes for his first appearance since his doping ban was overturned, having not played since November 2024.

In another moment from the match in Hong Kong, Zeki Celik of Juventus and Joao Pedro of Chelsea contested possession during the pre-season friendly at Kai Tak Stadium on August 5, 2026.

It was Chelsea’s second straight pre-season defeat after also losing to Tottenham Hotspur, while Juve recorded a fourth clean sheet in as many summer matches.

Zhegrova 68 (J)

Juventus: Di Gregorio (Perin 46); Kalulu (Koopmeiners 63), Gatti (Rugani 75), Kelly, Celik; Locatelli (Owusu 46, Arthur 75), Douglas Luiz (Cabal 63); Boga (Zhegrova 46), Miretti (Yildiz 63), Cambiaso (Bremer 46); Milik (David 46, Durmisi 75)

Chelsea: Sanchez (Penders 46); Palestra (Acheampong 65), Adarabioyo (Sarr 46), Fofana (Subuloye 68), Hato (Anselmino 65); Jazuli (Essugo 65), Caicedo (Lavia 65); Geovani (Estevao 46), Welbeck (Jackson 46, Mudryk 82), Gittens (Satpayev 65); Pedro (Delap 65)