Fulham leave pitch as Malaga score penalty into empty net at La Rosaleda

Fulham's pre-season friendly against Malaga finished unusually at Malaga's Estadio La Rosaleda in southern Spain on Wednesday, when Malaga converted a penalty into an empty net after Fulham's players left the pitch.

Malaga had drawn level in the final minute of normal time when Calvin Bassey was penalised for a handball and Eneko Jauregi converted from the penalty spot to make it 2-2. At full-time former Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa was sent off for remonstrating with the referee and, believing the match had ended, he and his players immediately headed down the tunnel. Malaga, however, had anticipated a penalty shootout to decide the Costa del Sol Trophy and remained on the field.

With supporters expecting a shootout, Jauregi placed the ball on the spot and struck the penalty into an unattended goal, then celebrated with team-mates in front of the home crowd at La Rosaleda. The conversion was taken while Fulham were already off the pitch and before any shootout could take place.

Fulham issued a statement on X asserting the pre-match agreement between the clubs, writing: "We can confirm that prior to the match, both teams agreed that there would not be a penalty shootout in the event of a draw."

In its post-match report, Malaga set out a different account on the club website, writing: "Although a penalty shootout had been scheduled, Fulham left the pitch, claiming that a shootout had not been included in the contract."

Fulham will finish their pre-season schedule against Stuttgart on Saturday, and their opening match of the 2026-27 Premier League season is scheduled to kick off against Chelsea at Craven Cottage at 20:00 BST on Monday, 24 August.