A special day for the new Malaguista coach, Míchel, who debuted with a starting-11 which, compared to the last match, had Torres in defence; José Rodríguez and Chory in midfield; and Sandro on the attack. The home side got off to a good start, generating opportunities in the first stages of play. In minute 10, José Rodríguez launched a shot with intention, testing the reflexes of Pacheco, who returned to save a subsequent shot at goal with solvency, by Charles in 18’.
Málaga showed combinative play, seeking to wear a well-positioned Alavés down. Without the ball, the Blue and Whites maintained an intense pressure from midfield, making it uncomfortable for the Basque Country rival, as they tried to steal possession and form rapid attacks. The match advanced, and Pellegrino’s men, as well as stopping the initial Malaguista push, took the lead with a goal from Feddal following a corner kick (0-1, 39’).
Miguel Torres, in minute 42, searched for the equaliser with a header on the left of the rival area. However, the scoreboard didn’t change when Undiano Mallenco blew the half-time whistle.
In the second half, Ontiveros substituted Keko in the ‘8’ lane. The team went out full of determination to go level, against a compact Alavés who maintained a solid defence. In 58’, Charles finished a perfect counter-attack by José Rodríguez, but a goal didn’t materialise. A minute later, Juankar joined play in place of Torres to bring more pace to the left wing.
In the 66th minute, Sandro’s shot hit the post in a clear warning of what was to come. An excellent pass from Charles and a supersonic arrival from the left by Juankar smashed the ball into the back of the net (1-1, 71’). Immediately after, Feddal was sent off (72’) and the Malaguistas had a numerical advantage. Míchel made his third and final change, bringing on En-Nesyri for Sandro in the 76th minute. The young Moroccan striker came close to a goal in minute 81 following a superb assist by Ontiveros. The Marbella-born reserve team player, in 84’, set up a golden ball for Charles, who narrowly missed out on a second goal.
Again, Charles in 88’, and En-Nesyri with a close-range header in 89’ could have put MCF in the lead. However, in stoppage time, Edgar Méndez beat Kameni to give a 1-2 victory to Alavés. As such, Málaga CF remain in 15th place in the table with 26 points.