Fulham leave pitch as Malaga take penalty into empty net

Fulham's pre-season friendly against Malaga concluded unexpectedly on Wednesday, as the Spanish team scored a penalty into an empty net while their opponents departed the field. In the final moments of regulation time, Malaga equalized through Calvin Bassey, who converted a handball into a penalty, resulting in a 2-2 draw. Despite Alvaro Arbeloa, Fulham's manager, receiving a red card for protesting the referee at the final whistle, the Fulham players and staff believed the match was concluded.

However, Malaga continued to stay on the pitch, anticipating a penalty shootout as stipulated by the Costa del Sol Trophy rules. Fans were on edge, waiting for the shootout to determine the winner. After the match, Fulham confirmed in a statement on X that they and Malaga had agreed prior to the game that no penalty shootout would occur if the match ended in a draw.

Malaga later acknowledged in their post-match report on their website that despite a scheduled penalty shootout, Fulham left the field, citing that the agreement did not include a shootout. Fulham's pre-season schedule continued as they faced Stuttgart on Saturday, with their Premier League opener against Chelsea set for Monday, 24 August at 20:00 BST.