JDT hold Chelsea to fiery draw despite multi-million pound gap | New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta'zim's €15.4 million (RM72 million) squad made Chelsea's €1.37 billion (RM6.37 billion) collection of talent sweat for a point after the Malaysian champions held the English giants to a thrilling 3-3 draw at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Sunday.

According to Transfermarkt, numerically, Chelsea's squad is worth almost 89 times that of JDT, showing the extraordinary financial gap between the two sides.

The Blues' spending power was further illustrated by their £117 million (RM643 million) British-record signing of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, a fee almost nine times the estimated value of JDT's entire squad.

The Guardian also noted that Chelsea's front three of Estevao Willian, Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson had cost more than £100 million (RM549 million) between them over the past three years.

Yet money was no guarantee of an easy night in Johor as The Guardian reporter Sam Cunningham, writing from Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, described the encounter as a "strangely fiery draw".

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"They flew into challenges, unsettling Chelsea's players, competing with an intensity rarely seen in a preseason friendly," Cunningham wrote.

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The Sun's Chelsea correspondent Dan King was equally critical of the visitors, giving defender Tosin Adarabioyo three out of 10.

"His weaknesses, especially lack of pace, were regularly exposed by JDT," King wrote..

He was also unimpressed by Adarabioyo's conduct as tempers flared.

"He seemed more intent on starting or getting involved in rucks than setting a calm example to his young team-mates," King wrote.

King described Chelsea as having "avoided humiliation", while acknowledging that Xabi Alonso had fielded a largely second-string side after a punishing schedule.

Alonso made 11 changes after Chelsea's 3-0 win over AC Milan in Jakarta only 24 hours earlier, while it was reported that the team's plane landed in Malaysia at 3am on match day.

That context mattered, but it did not disguise JDT's performance as the hosts came into the contest with confidence built on years of domestic dominance and immediately showed they were prepared to test Chelsea's defence rather than sit back.

Arif Aiman Hanapi opened the scoring in the 14th minute after finishing Marcos Guilherme's pass, before Delap levelled from the penalty spot in the 43rd.

The England striker converted another penalty in the 62nd minute to put Chelsea ahead, but JDT hit back three minutes later when Oscar Arribas' free-kick took a deflection and flew into the net.

Bergson Da Silva then appeared to have secured a famous victory for JDT when he put the hosts 3-2 ahead in the 85th minute.

Chelsea were eventually rescued in the 89th minute when Antonio Glauder turned the ball into his own net.

The 3-3 scoreline meant Chelsea escaped with a draw, but the financial comparison remained impossible to ignore.

One Chelsea signing cost almost nine times JDT's entire squad value, but on Sunday night, JDT had three goals, twice led the Premier League giants and came within minutes of claiming the game.

Kaynak: NST Online. Telif hakkı kaynak yayına aittir; buradaki metin özet/atıftır.

Orijinal haber: https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2026/08/1508026/jdt-hold-chelsea-fiery-draw-despite-multi-million-pound-gap