Pellicer’s men kicked off 2021 with a visit to Castilla-La Mancha on matchday 20 of LaLiga SmartBank. The cold temperatures prevailed at the iconic Carlos Belmonte, which is to be expected on 3rd January at 18:15.
That said, the chilly temperatures didn’t define the 22 players on the pitch. The Blue and Whites – dressed in yellow today - attempted to dominate possession in the first 45 minutes and made dangerous approaches to the rival area. Both teams shared opportunities, but neither managed to take the lead. For the visitors, Caye generated the best chances to get ahead in 10’ and 14’, but the actions were disabled for being offside and for a foul on the rival on the attack, respectively. Dani Barrio made an impressive save from a close-range shot in the heart of the area (42’). At half-time the scoreboard remained at 0-0.
The second half got underway with a very similar tone to the first, with equal possession and approaches. However, on this occasion, the scoreboard did move. Málaga CF got the first goal. Jairo made the most of a mistake by the local defence to be one-on-one with the keeper. The number ‘10’ defined calmly and with quality to put the visitors 0-1 up in 49’. However, just four minutes later, Albacete went level. The referee declared a penalty against Pellicer’s men, and in 52’, Ortuño converted from the penalty spot (1-1, 53’).
The Malaguistas went on to create several dangerous chances but weren’t able to get another goal. The referee’s full-time whistle signalled the points were shared between these rivals in the first duel of 2021.
