Fulham and Malaga played a pre-season friendly that concluded in unusual circumstances on Wednesday. The match was tied 2-2 after the final minute of regular play, when Malaga equalized through a penalty conversion by Eneko Jauregi following a handball decision against Fulham defender Calvin Bassey.
The situation escalated when Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa received a red card for his conduct toward the referee at full-time. However, rather than remaining on the pitch, Arbeloa and his players departed down the tunnel, believing the match had concluded. Malaga, which expected a penalty shootout to determine the winner of the Costa del Sol Trophy, remained positioned to continue play at the team’s home ground, Estadio La Rosaleda in southern Spain.
With the field empty of Fulham players, Malaga’s Jauregi stepped up and converted a penalty kick into the unoccupied net before celebrating with his team. Fulham subsequently stated that both squads had agreed beforehand that no penalty shootout would take place in the event of a draw. Malaga’s official website indicated the club believed a shootout had been scheduled and attributed the departure to Fulham’s assertion that no such provision existed in the match contract.
Fulham will face Stuttgart in their next pre-season engagement on Saturday. The club opens its league campaign against Chelsea at Craven Cottage at 20:00 BST on 24 August.
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