Fulham respond after fiery friendly ends with walk-off as Malaga score penalty in empty net

Fulham's pre-season friendly with Malaga turned chaotic on Wednesday night, culminating in the Cottagers walking off the pitch as Malaga scored a penalty into an empty net. The match ended 2-2 after Alvaro Arbeloa's men believed the game was finished. Malaga took advantage of the empty net by converting Eneko Jauregi's penalty in stoppage time.

According to Fulham, both teams had agreed prior to the match that there would be no penalty shootout if the game ended in a draw. However, Malaga disputes this claim, asserting that a shootout was indeed scheduled. The disagreement stems from the fact that a penalty shootout had been planned, but Fulham left the field, citing that a shootout was not included in the contract.

Fulham, who have won only one of their five pre-season matches this summer, conclude their 2026/27 preparations against Stuttgart on Saturday at Craven Cottage. Their Premier League campaign begins with a match against Chelsea on Monday 24 August.