Before the match got underway, the players wanted to honour Juankar, who sustained serious injury in the last match at the Bernabéu, and wore t-shirts bearing the slogan “Fuerza Juankar”. Diego González, occupying the usual place of the Madrid-born player on the left wing, was highlighted in Míchel’s starting-11. Facing him, an old friend on the visitors’ bench, Juan Ramón Muñiz. His Levante, as expected, stepped on to the pitch at Martiricos perfectly organised.
After the first quarter of an hour, Málaga intensified their attacking play, with Rolan and Peñaranda seeking solutions between the lines, and Keko and Chory growing in activity on the wings. Adrián and Diego, with two separate shots, generated the first dangerous opportunities at Oier’s goal midway through the first half. Peñaranda, in 41’, was met with an answer to his shot from the edge of the area that grazed the post.
The consistency and solidity of the Levante defence made it impossible for MCF to have any great chances to open the scoring. At half-time, the scoreboard remained at 0-0.
Muñiz substituted Samuel García in a second half that brought two clear opportunities for Málaga. Recio, in minute 47, shot very close to the rival goal, and then from the subsequent corner, Diego launched a close-range shot at the target, forcing Oier into an excellent save. The number ‘3’ tried again in 56’ with a corner kick that went to the side of the net. Borja, in the 59th minute of play, substituted Peñaranda on the Malaguista attack.
Javi Ontiveros joined the action in 70’, in place of Keko on the right. Two minutes later, the Marbella-born player set up a precise ball for a Borja header, that narrowly missed the goal. In minute 80, Chory tried his luck with a left-footer that was attacked well by Oier. Adrián, in 83’, also made an attempt from afar, but the ball wasn’t goal-bound. Juanpi, in 85’, completed the substitutions by replacing Chory.
Roberto, unprecedented throughout the entire match, made a memorable save from a Nano shot at goal in minute 90, to safeguard the draw. Another point to continue in 18th place in LaLiga.
