Fulham's Marcus Bettinelli Responds to Fiery Friendly After Malaga's Penalty Walk-Off
Fulham's goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli has spoken out about the chaotic pre-season friendly with Malaga that ended with his team walking off the pitch as the Spanish side took a penalty into an open net.
The match at the Estadio La Rosadela descended into chaos after Eneko Jauregi converted from the spot in stoppage time to make it 2-2, with Fulham's players believing the match was over and heading straight down the tunnel. Malaga's players remained on the pitch, expecting a penalty shootout to decide the winner of the Costa del Sol Trophy.
Fulham has since asserted that both sides agreed the match would end without a penalty shootout if a draw was played out. "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," the club wrote on X. However, Malaga contest this and insisted that a shootout had indeed been scheduled.
The controversy has sparked debate over communication and agreement between teams, particularly in pre-season friendlies. It's not the first time that a friendly match has ended in controversy, but the fact that both teams have different accounts of what happened raises questions about the clarity of communication.
The match was part of Fulham's preparations for the 2026/27 season, and the team will face Stuttgart on Saturday at Craven Cottage before beginning their Premier League campaign against Chelsea on Monday 24 August.
Source: Yahoo Sports