Juventus Edge Chelsea to Claim Victory at 2026 Hong Kong Football Festival

Juventus secured a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at the Kai Tak Stadium on the evening of August 5, bringing the curtain down on Hong Kong's premier summer football festival in 2026 with a stunning long-range strike from winger Edon Zhegrova in the second half.

The scene of the match, Photo source: offered by the reader of Bastille Post

The showcase match was played in front of a boisterous crowd of more than 43,000 spectators and remained goalless after a cagey first half. The deadlock was finally broken in the 68th minute when Zhegrova unleashed a powerful effort, netting the only goal of the game and clinching the Herbalgy Trophy for the Serie A side. The defeat extended Chelsea's winless run in pre-season to two matches under manager Xabi Alonso, with the Blues unable to find an equaliser despite a late push.

From left, Tayo Subuloye and Romeo Lavia of Chelsea look on as their goalkeeper Mike Penders jumps to block a shot from Juventus during a pre-season friendly soccer match for the Hong Kong Football Festival in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. Photo source: AP News

The fixture served as the headline finale of the 2026 Hong Kong Football Festival, following Saturday's opening showdown in which Inter Milan defeated Manchester City at the same venue.

Juventus secured a 1-0 victory over Chelsea. Photo source: FB@Rosanna Law

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea signed veteran England midfielder Jordan Henderson to a two-year contract on Monday following his departure from Brentford last week.

The 36-year-old Henderson is Chelsea’s oldest signing since BlueCo took over the club in 2022.

“The midfielder, who has won eight trophies in his career, including the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, has signed a two-year contract with the Blues and will join his new team-mates ahead of the 2026-27 campaign,” Chelsea said on its website.

Henderson won the Champions League in 2019 and Premier League in 2020 with Liverpool.

“Given the size of the club, the manager (Xabi Alonso), who I have great admiration for, and the quality of the players, this was a huge opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Henderson said. “I was also so impressed with how much the ownership want Chelsea to be successful and move in the right direction.”

Henderson’s off-season signing follows that of Danny Welbeck,Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda by the Stamford Bridge club.

__

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - England's Jordan Henderson celebrates his team's victory over Panama in the World Cup Group L soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)