Why?-Fulham players walk off pitch as Malaga score penalty into empty net

Fulham players appeared to snub a penalty shootout and walk off the pitch following their pre-season clash with La Liga side Malaga.

A Malaga player was seen scoring into an empty net as his teammates rushed to celebrate around him after the goal, as Fulham players walked off the pitch.

The Cottagers pre-season friendly was a dramatic one, with new boss Alvaro Arbeloa shown a red card after the 90 minutes, with the game finishing 2-2.

The Fulham boss was seen remonstrating with the officials about something, clearly unhappy about the late awarding of a penalty, and was shown a straight red as the home fans jeered the decision.

His players shook hands with the opposition and applauded their travelling fans before walking off the pitch as Malaga stars watched on with confusion.

The Premier League side playing no part in a penalty shootout, as one Malaga star lined up a shot and scored into an empty net, to cheers from the home crowd.

However, Fulham have now released a statement explaining the confusion. It read: “Thank you for your excellent support in Malaga this evening!

“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.”

Ryan Sessegnon opened the scoring for the Premier League side after 24 minutes, but their lead was short-lived.

Malaga’s number nine Chupe equalised just four minutes later to ensure the two sides went into the break level.

However, the Cottagers restored their lead through Alex Iwobi just before the hour mark after some good play form Timothy Castagne.

It appeared as though Fulham were on course for their first win of pre-season, following on from a draw with Al Alhi and Crystal Palace, only for Eneko Jauregi to score a late penalty to draw in the dying embers of the game.

Instead of penalties deciding the game, Fulham stars made their way back to the dressing room as Malaga players stayed on the pitch infront of a confused crowd.

Malaga would be crowned Costa del Sol Trophy winners, despite the game ending in a draw.