Chelsea friendly against Johor Darul Ta'zim ends in chaos

Chelsea's pre-season friendly against Malaysian outfit Johor Darul Ta'zim descended into chaos following a 3-3 draw. The match ended on a sour note when a contractually agreed penalty shootout was abruptly cancelled, leaving spectators and staff bewildered.

As both teams headed for the tunnel despite the prior agreement, Chelsea's head of first-team operations, Kevin Campello, was seen in a heated argument with the referee, shouting: "It's written in the contract." Despite the protests, the match concluded without the shootout.

The fixture proved costly for manager Xabi Alonso. Defender Mamadou Sarr was forced to withdraw during the warm-up, while Aaron Anselmino had to be substituted in the 29th minute due to an injury that left him in tears.

Chelsea now heads back to Europe for their final pre-season test against Real Sociedad. Alonso faces the urgent task of addressing defensive fragility and assessing fitness levels before the Premier League opener against Fulham.