Fulham FC, soon to face VfB Stuttgart, could not manage more than a 2-2 draw in its friendly match in Malaga. Afterward, Bernd Leno’s new coach was shown a red card—and a very brief penalty shootout ensued.
To add a little prestige to friendly matches, organizers have been coming up with new trophies for years—trophies that are often larger than the Champions League trophy, but unfortunately have no sporting relevance whatsoever.
On Wednesday evening, Fulham FC competed for the so-called Costa del Sol Cervezas Victoria Cup, and just how little they cared about it was perfectly evident once the 90 minutes were up. The friendly against La Liga newcomer Málaga FC ended in a manner quite atypical for a friendly: with plenty of emotion and utter chaos.
The score was 2–2 at the end of 90 minutes because Málaga had converted a handball penalty in stoppage time to equalize late in the game. A peaceful draw, then? Not quite. First, Fulham’s new coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, was shown a red card. The former Real Madrid coach had clashed with referee and fellow Spaniard Ortiz Arias.
Meanwhile, Málaga was already lining up its penalty takers—after all, the winner of the Costa del Sol Cervezas Victoria Cup had to be determined. But Fulham wasn’t interested: The Cottagers left the field amid boos and disappeared into the tunnel.
Málaga converted confidently from the spot—without an opposing goalkeeper
So the home team went their own way: Eneko Jauregi, who had already beaten Bernd Leno from the spot to make it 2–2, stepped up for another penalty and converted—this time with no opposing goalkeeper—with complete confidence amid the cheers of the fans and his teammates. That was enough for Málaga to receive the oversized trophy shortly afterward.
“We can confirm that both teams had agreed before the game that there would be no penalty shootout in the event of a tie,” Fulham later defended itself via X, while Málaga’s website stated: “Although a penalty shootout was scheduled, Fulham left the field on the grounds that a penalty shootout had not been stipulated in the contract.” Consequently, Málaga was declared the winner.
However, no fallout is expected; Fulham has other problems after winning just one of five preseason matches. As early as Saturday (5 p.m.), last season’s 11th-place finisher faces its final warm-up match before the Premier League opener (August 24 against Chelsea). Their opponent at home at Craven Cottage will be VfB Stuttgart. There will definitely be no penalty shootout.
