A strong storm welcomed Malagueño in Vilafranca del Penedés. Manel Ruano’s boys kicked off the Second Division B promotion match against a team who has never qualified for the play-offs. The fans reacted and the ground was full, but the reserve team also had great support. Some 50 Blue and Whites’ fans, the majority from the Peña Malaguista los 300 de Barcelona, were at the stadium. There was also a large institutional representation from the Club in Barcelona. Málaga CF President, Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani; his son, Sheikh Nayef Al Thani; sports director, Francesc Arnau; and Club advisers, Abdallah Ben Barek and Francisco Martín Aguilar watched the game from the box.
The weather respected the beginning of the match, and the rain subsided. The senior team from the MCF Academy tried to dominate control of the ball throughout play, but the locals, well-positioned on the pitch, didn’t allow the Malaguistas to deploy their game.
The match was intense, somewhat unpolished at times, and without a clear dominance from either side. Mauri had a good opportunity in the last stage of the match to put the Blue and Whites in front, but his low shot missed the base of the pole by centimetres. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, leaving the tie wide open to be decided in Málaga.
“This result will be good if we qualify, as this is a ground that hasn’t been kind to us, despite the fact we competed well. For the return leg we need to win to get through, so we’re staying positive,” comments Manel Ruano to the Club media after the game.
