Chelsea and Johor Darul Ta'zim draw 3-3 in Sultan Ibrahim Stadium pre-season friendly
Chelsea drew 3-3 with Johor Darul Ta'zim in a pre-season friendly at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on August 9, 2026, in a match that produced six goals and several notable incidents.
Xabi Alonso fielded a largely youthful Chelsea side, resting several senior players including Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Wesley Fofana, producing a markedly different lineup to the one used against AC Milan. The Malaysian Super League champions pushed the Premier League visitors throughout the contest, and Chelsea — who had kept a clean sheet in their previous match — conceded three times on the night.
Chelsea started the match with a back three of Tosin Adarabioyo, Olutayo Subuloye and Aaron Anselmino, but that rearguard was breached repeatedly. Joao Pedro and Danny Wellbeck were absent from the attacking group, leaving Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson as the principal options up front; both forwards missed several chances in open play, which the report attributed to a lack of composure in the final third.
Liam Delap, despite failing to score from open play, was noted for his penalty-taking. Chelsea conceded two penalties in the 42nd and 62nd minutes, and "the 23-year-old came up with a strong run-up and fired the ball at the back of the net both times to complete his brace." The report also states Delap was sharp from the spot.
Temperatures rose in the 66th minute when Johor Darul Ta’zim defender Antonio Cristian produced a heavy tackle on Liam Delap and received a yellow card; the article notes there was no VAR intervention and that the challenge might have warranted a red in a competitive match. Antonio Cristian was later involved in a different incident when a ball from Mykhailo Mudryk in the 89th minute was deflected in by the same defender and counted as Chelsea’s third goal.
Mykhailo Mudryk returned to the field for a brief spell and was described as impactful during his roughly 10 minutes on the pitch. The report records he delivered the 89th-minute ball leading to the deflection that produced Chelsea’s third goal.
The match also featured a set-piece goal described in the report: "The 27-year-old came up with a sensational free kick from outside the box. He found the top right corner and bamboozled Chelsea’s Gaga Slonina, who was guarding the goal. Oscar Arribas used the perfect technique and a slight deflection by Liam Delap was enough to get the ball inside the goal." The result leaves Chelsea, who finished 10th in the Premier League last season, with continued absence from European competition this campaign.
