Chelsea's pre-season friendly against Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia ended in bizarre fashion after the Malaysian side left the field instead of taking part in a planned penalty shootout.
The match, played at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, finished 3-3 after an at-times ill-tempered contest. Liam Delap scored twice for Chelsea, and an own goal in the 89th minute completed the comeback for Xabi Alonso's second-string side.
After the full 90 minutes, supporters inside the ground waited for a penalty shootout, as has happened in a number of pre-season matches this summer. It never came.
Johor Darul Ta'zim opted to leave the pitch rather than prepare for the spot kicks. Chelsea's head of first-team operations, Kevin Campello, was heard saying the shootout was "written in the contract." No official explanation was given for why it did not take place.
Shootouts a pre-season trend
Penalty shootouts have featured in several pre-season games this summer even when one side has won in normal time. Arsenal beat Borussia Dortmund on penalties at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday despite losing the match 3-2.
Few first-choice players featured for Chelsea against Johor Darul Ta'zim, with Estevao and Delap among the only senior professionals involved. Midfielder Dario Essugo captained the side.
A separate Chelsea team, including Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo, had beaten Ruben Amorim's AC Milan 3-0 the day before, with Joao Pedro scoring twice to continue his strong pre-season form.
Chelsea play Real Sociedad next Saturday in their final pre-season fixture, before facing Fulham in their first match of the new season the following week.
