Chelsea 3 Johor 3: Xabi Alonso set for sleepless night with second-string Blues WOEFUL against Malaysian minnows

CHELSEA avoided humiliation amid farcical scenes at the end of their far-flung Far East tour. An incident-packed, bad-tempered game ended level on the scoresheet and with 11 players still on both teams. Liam Delap fired home two penalties Credit: Getty The performance from a second-string XI will not have given Xabi Alonso much confidence Credit: Getty A late own goal by Johor Darul Ta’zim prevented the Blues losing in normal time and a penalty shootout was expected to settle the winners. But it never happened. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! A member of the Chelsea backroom staff was overheard saying “it’s in the contract” to the referee. Yet both teams and staff left the field, never to return. Xabi Alonso’s side were ragged for much of the game and deserved to fall behind in the first half. Then two penalties from Liam Delap put the Blues in the driving seat, only for JDT to equalise and then move ahead with five minutes to go. Delap flicked on a cross from substitute Mykhailo Mudryk to force Antonio Glauder into an own goal. But then an entertaining evening was denied more drama when the shootout was called off and the Blues were left to head back to Europe. Most read in Football Defeat would have been a real embarrassment for Chelsea, despite extenuating circumstances. Yes, it was a mainly second string side which took the field only 15 hours after the squad touched down at 4am local time in Jakarta. Yes, it was still 30C and humid as anything. And JDT have won the last 12 Malaysian titles in a row. But still there are no excuses for a Premier League team losing to such opposition. And Chelsea should have been three down at half time yet could have been 2-1 up. After a good start going forward, worries about the team out of position in the 3-4-2-1 formation were proved well founded. It was far too easy for JDT to break and Marcos Guilherme outpaced Tosin Adarabioyo before crossing to the back post, where captain Arif Aiman fired home. Aaron Anselmino should probably have done better but the Argentinian was soon forced off with injury, after Mamadou Sarr had also been a late withdrawal from the starting line-up. The Blues were soon all over the place. Jamie Gittens was struggling as a left wing-back and Oscar Arribas wasted a brilliant chance to make it 2-0. JDT also fluffed yet another good break and were punished immediately. Delap’s strength led Kevin Medina into a silly foul which conceded a penalty. Delap scored emphatically but then showed the other side to his game. First, the £30m signing from last summer was needlessly booked for getting involved in a scuffle with an opponent. Then Delap was played through by Nicolas Jackson’s brilliant pass in first-half stoppage time but sent a first-time shot wide. If Alonso’s message at the break was to tighten up at the back, no-one listened. Shahab Zahedi ran clear for JDT but allowed half-time substitute goalkeeper Gaga Slonina to make a good save. Chelsea continued to look open at the back, but on the hour they went ahead. Gittens did something right at last, winning a softish penalty. Once more, Delap was decisive from the spot. But JDT were soon level. Arribas’s free kick took a wicked deflection off Delap’s back and it was no more than the home team deserved. The needle in the game returned when Antonio Glauder went through the back of Delap. Tosin led the brawl on the pitch, while set-piece coach Austin McPhee was involved in a scuffle between the two benches. Clear-cut chances had dried up until Dario Essugo’s poor pass allowed JDT sub Bergson to put his side 3-2 up with five minutes to go. But Alonso’s double change paid dividends immediately. Sub Mudryk swung in a cross, Delap got a faint touch and the ball took a big deflection off Glauder to level the score. And so to penalties. Or not. More to follow… Estevao was back in action for the Blues Credit: Getty Jorrel Hato and Pedro Neto were among the first-teamers in the stands Credit: Getty Chelsea faced a far sterner test than many were expecting Credit: Getty Tensions bubbled throughout the 90 minutes between the two sides Credit: Getty Comment now