The 14th League match of the season kicked off on a cold Monday night at La Rosaleda. Despite a series of exchanges between both teams, they began to fight for possession during the first minutes of play.
The first pangs of excitement came 15 minutes into the match as Portillo gained possession in midfield, outwitted two defenders to pass to Juanmi, who launched a belter towards the target, but Iraizoz put paid to an early goal. The assistant referee later declared he was offside.
Ernesto Valverde’s men retaliated five minutes later showing impressive play on the left wing, allowing Guillermo a chance to head the ball into the net which left Willy almost sat on the pitch. It was Weligton who saved the day and stopped the visitors from opening the scoring.
Half an hour in and Antunes set up a good ball for Juanmi, who played it too heavy to reach the net. During Málaga’s best moments of the match, Eliseu and Antunes regained possession, leading to another chance for the Blue and Whites from the left of the goal area, hitting the far post. Sergi Darder then attempted a shot at glory but sent the ball over the crossbar.
Just before half time Málaga’s hard work paid off. Samuel headed the ball to Juanmi in a fantastic assist, who then also headed the ball into the back of the net to put the local side 1-0 in the lead.
Athletic de Bilbao’s Mikel San José came close to an equaliser following a free kick, missing Willy’s goal area by a whisker.
Málaga CF kicked off the second half in much the same way, and didn’t tarry in causing trouble for the rival. It was Samuel and Juanmi again as the ringleaders, but Iraizoz prevented the Coín-born player from netting another Málaga goal.
The rival coach made some changes to the line-up, introducing three new players in the 62nd minute of play, hoping to alter the dynamic of the game. Valverde’s men then began to dominate possession and took the initiative. Following a corner in minute 67, San José headed the ball into Willy’s net to level up the score board.
The ‘Malaguista’ coach made a double substitution following the rival goal. Pawlowski and Pedro Morales joined the match in the search for a local victory. However things didn’t go to plan as Portillo was sent off following two harsh decisions by the ref within 10 minutes, leaving the Blue and Whites a man down for the remainder of the game.
The bad news for Málaga CF kept on coming. In the 84th minute Muniain gained possession on the right wing, and despite a confident save by Willy, the Bilbao striker’s second attempt powered the ball into the goal. With only 10 men, the ‘Malaguista’ formation led to considerable difficulty in defence.
Match stats
MALAGA CF: Willy, Angeleri, Weligton, Sergio Sánchez, Antunes, Tissone, Sergi Darder, Samuel (Camacho, min. 84), Eliseu (Pawlowski, min. 73), Portillo and Juanmi (Pedro Morales, min. 73).
ATHLETIC CLUB: Iraizoz, Laporte, San José, Iturraspe, Ibai (Susaeta, min. 46), Iraola, Mikel Rico (De Marcos, min. 56), Muniain, Ander Herrera, Balenziaga and Guillermo (Toquero, min. 62).
GOALS:
1-0: Juanmi (min. 37).
1-1: San José (min. 67).
1-2: Muniain (min. 84).
REFEREE: Iglesias Villanueva, ‘Colegio Gallego’. Yellow cards were awarded to Samuel (min. 29), Weligton (min. 38), San José (min. 44), Angeleri (min. 56), Eliseu (min. 70), and Portillo received a double yellow and was sent off (min. 75 and 83).
INFORMATION: 14th BBVA League game of the season held at La Rosaleda stadium.
