Málaga got off to a very intense start tonight, projecting well on the wings. In minute 2, quick movement by Juankar resulted in a pass from Charles to Duda, who missed the target. The Portuguese-born captain, who claimed a possible hand ball inside the Betis area (7’), and the Brazilian striker, whose shot at goal tested the reflexes of Adán in minute 8’, were both very active at the start of play. The visitors began to cause trouble in minute 14’, following a corner kick by Rubén Castro that was deflected well by Kameni.
After the first 15 minutes, Gracia’s men continued to dominate play. In minute 18’ a strong wall formed by Tighadouini and Juankar ended with a forceful shot at goal from the Madrid-born player, and a great save by Adán. Soon after, in minute 22’, a zig zag between the lines from ‘Tigha’ led to another near miss of the Betis target. Just after half an hour into the match, Adán was again the saviour of the Sevilla-based side, by saving a rocket at close-range by Juankar (31’).
Towards the end of the first half, Betis put on a stronger performance in the hope of quashing Málaga’s efforts to take the lead, eager to take advantage of a counter attack with Cejudo upfront. Without forgetting the quality of former Blue and Whites’ player, Joaquín, who started off on the left but ended the first half entering on the right thanks to good marking by Rosales, who showed good initiative on the attack. At the end of 45 minutes, the scoreboard remained 0-0.
After half-time, visiting coach, Pepe Mel introduced former ‘Malaguista’, Xavi Torres in order for Betis to gain more control of play in midfield. Equality was the key word in the first minutes of the second half, with Málaga becoming further away from their goal and with less arrival at the Betis area. In minute 57’, Recio tried unsuccessfully to put the home team in the lead with a forceful action from the left wing. The ‘Malagueño’ and Duda tried to regain control of the wide area of the pitch with their passes between the lines.
With a lethal counter-attack, Betis took a 0-1 lead at La Rosaleda. The scorer was Rubén Castro, who managed to defeat Kameni in a rapid action from the left (0-1, 64’). Javi Gracia, in the middle of the second half, introduced Croatian-born Cop in place of Recio, hoping to strengthen the team upfront. Betis tried their best to maintain their lead against a Málaga that wasn’t about to surrender.
In minute 76’, a blatant action by MCF was again slashed by hero goalkeeper, Adán. A tense shot from Juankar and a precise volley from Charles was followed up by another great save to prevent the Blue and Whites equalising. In minute 78’, a dangerous free kick by ‘Tigha’, touched slightly by Duda, narrowly missed out on the target. Beforehand, Ricardo Horta substituted Juankar. In the 85th minute, Mastour joined the match in place of Tighadouini, to make his official LaLiga debut. Málaga didn’t lose faith until the end; a mighty header from Weligton following a pass from Charles surprised Alexanco in minute 89’. However the match ended with a 0-1 defeat for the home side, ending the run of two consecutive wins at the Martiricos stadium.