Chelsea Held to 3-3 Draw by Johor in Friendly

Chelsea have been held to a 3-3 draw by Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in a lively pre-season friendly at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Sunday.

Johor took an early lead in the 14th minute when Arif Aiman finished from close range after a quick attack.

Chelsea responded before half-time, with Liam Delap winning and converting a penalty in the 40th minute to make it 1-1.

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Delap put Chelsea ahead again in the 62nd minute, scoring another penalty after Jamie Gittens was brought down inside the box.

Johor levelled three minutes later when Oscar Arribas’ free-kick deflected off Delap and wrong-footed Chelsea goalkeeper Gaga Slonina.

Chelsea Players. Credit: Sports Illustrated.

The Malaysian champions looked to have secured victory in the 86th minute when Brazilian forward Bergson fired a 20-yard shot into the corner.

Chelsea, however, snatched a late equaliser three minutes later when Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross struck Cristian Glauder and went into the net.

The match was fiercely contested, with the referee showing seven yellow cards.

A planned penalty shootout after the game was also cancelled, although no immediate reason was given.

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Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso made wholesale changes to his team, fielding an entirely different starting XI just 24 hours after the Blues faced AC Milan.

Mamadou Sarr was also replaced before kick-off.

Chelsea will now return to England for their final pre-season match against Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, August 15.

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