Arbeloa red card and empty-net penalty leave Malaga-Fulham friendly in ruins
Arbeloa red card and empty-net penalty leave Malaga-Fulham friendly in ruins
A manager sent off, one team walking down the tunnel and their opponents scoring a penalty into an empty net. Pre-season friendlies are not supposed to be so chaotic, but Malaga's game against Fulham on Wednesday ended in unusual circumstances.
Match ends in dramatic fashion
The match itself was relatively eventful with Fulham twice taking the lead through Ryan Sessegnon and Alex Iwobi, but they were pegged back through Chupete in the first half. Then, in the last minute of normal time, Eneko Jauregi converted from the spot after Calvin Bassey was penalised for a handball.
Red card and tunnel exit
After that last-minute equaliser, Fulham coach Alvaro Arbeloa was shown a red card after appearing to remonstrate on the touchline with the referee. The final whistle was then blown, with Fulham players following Arbeloa down the tunnel as Malaga stayed on the pitch, waiting for a penalty shootout to commence.
The empty-net goal controversy
The two sides were contesting the Costa del Sol Cup, an annual pre-season friendly played in the southern Spanish city of Malaga. On the four previous occasions when the match has been drawn — most recently when Malaga played Italian club Sampdoria in 2016 — the trophy-winning side have been decided by penalties. With Fulham no longer on the pitch, Malaga striker Jauregi placed the ball on the penalty spot and without an opposition goalkeeper, rolled the ball into an empty net, prompting celebrations between the Spanish side's players and their home fans at Estadio La Rosaleda.
Conflicting accounts on penalty shootout agreement
Malaga's post-game report on the club website said: "Although a penalty shootout had been scheduled, Fulham left the pitch, claiming that a shootout had not been included in the contract."
Fulham, however, put out a social media post stating they did not believe a penalty shootout would take place. The west London club insist they were not making any protest by walking off, while Malaga believed their opponents needed to make a swift exit from the stadium to take their flight back to England.
Arbeloa's history of touchline tensions
It is not the first time Arbeloa, appointed at Fulham this summer after a four-month stint in charge of Real Madrid, has appeared tetchy on the touchline. In May 2023, when he was coaching Real's under-19 side, he was involved in a dugout altercation with his Atletico Madrid counterpart and former Liverpool team-mate Fernando Torres.
What's next for Fulham
Fulham conclude their pre-season campaign against German side Stuttgart on Saturday, ahead of their first Premier League game of the season at home to Chelsea on Monday August 24. That game will be Arbeloa's first competitive match in charge of the west London club, pitting him against former team-mate and colleague Xabi Alonso.
Malaga are back in Spain's top flight this season following an eight-year absence.