Chelsea saved themselves from defeat in the match against Johor thanks to Mudrik

London Chelsea finished their pre-season tour with a tense friendly against Malaysian club Johor Darul Tazim. The game at the Sultan Ibrahimi Larkini Stadium gave the audience six goals and ended with a score of 3:3. Head coach of Londoners Xabi Alonso decided to significantly change the starting line-up compared to Saturday's match in Jakarta, where the blues defeated Milan (3:0). The match did not start in the best way for the guests: Arif Ayman put Johor ahead early on. However, the Londoners quickly seized the initiative thanks to activity in the foreign penalty area. Liam Delap became the protagonist of the first half of the meeting. The striker, who joined Stamford Bridge from Ipswich in 2025 and scored just two goals in 41 appearances last season, managed to repeat that feat in one game. The 23-year-old forward twice approached the 11-meter mark and coolly converted both penalties to put Chelsea ahead. However, the advantage of the English club did not last long. In the 65th minute, Robert Sanchez was powerless after Oscar Arribas took a free kick and the ball ricocheted into the net. And four minutes before the end of regular time, it seemed that the Malaysian champions won: Bergson hit the bottom corner of the goal with a precise shot - 3:2. The savior of Chelsea was Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who started the match on the bench and appeared on the field only in the 87th minute. Just two minutes after coming on as a substitute, the Ukrainian distinguished himself with a decisive action. Mudryk executed a sharp cross into the penalty area, which forced the home defender Antonio Christian (Glauder) to head the ball into his own goal. After the final whistle with a score of 3:3, it was expected that the winner of the tournament would be determined in a series of post-match penalties. However, the teams did not go to the 11-meter penalty shootout, recording a combat draw. Chelsea is now heading back to London. On Saturday, August 15, Xabi Alonso's men will play their final pre-season match against Spanish side Real Sociedad at their hometown Stamford Bridge.