There was a great atmosphere at La Rosaleda today in support of the Blue and Whites’ reserve team.  The boys dominated possession from the start, but showed a degree of imprecision in midfield.  Pedro Mérida and Juanpi put the rival keeper through his paces during the first few minutes of play, whilst SD Ejea took advantage of a counter-attack to open the scoring thanks to a cross from Mainz that found the back of the net.
 
The rival team showed great physical strength, but were left a player down after 25 minutes as Toño was shown his second yellow card of the match.  The SD Ejea coach, Loreto protested the decision, and was also sent off.
 
The ‘Malaguistas’ continued to pose a great threat to the rival on the wings, thanks to Alberto López and Jurado, who surprised the defence with a central shot that narrowly missed the target.  A pass from Jurado landed at Fuengirola-born Pedro Mérida’s feet, who found himself one-on-one with the rival keeper, but failed to score thanks to an impressive display from the Aragón-born goalkeeper.
 
Atlético Malagueño continued to control the match in the second half, although the visitors generated another two clear chances to score, but Toni Casamayor put paid to hopes of increasing their lead.  Rafa de Vicente tried his luck from in front of the area, but the ball didn’t get past the rival defence and collided with the post.
 
With just 15 minutes to go until the final whistle, Jurado sustained an injury following a nasty tackle.  The ‘Malaguista’ captain suffered a third distal tibial fracture to his right leg, and will undergo treatment tomorrow.
 
During the final minutes, SD Ejea were left with just nine players as Recio was shown the red card as he brought Samu Castillejo down inside the penalty area.
 
The Blue and Whites’ reserve team lost by just a goal, but this didn’t dampen spirits at La Rosaleda, nor their qualification to the next round of the play-offs.  The draw will take place tomorrow at 5 p.m. to determine the boys’ next rival in the fight for promotion to Second Division B.


Match stats:
At. Malagueño: Toni, Jurado (Joel, 75’), Alberto López, Álex Portillo, Mosquera, Deco (Marrufo, 68’), Juanpi, Rafa de Vicente, Pedro Mérida (Ernesto, 53’), Samu Castillejo and Rufo.

SD Ejea: Rafa Santos, Mainz, Osanz, Pastor, Recio, Pedro (Miki, 78’), Edu García, Toño, Revilla (Gallego, 73’), Terré (Pascual, 59’) and Gracia Peña.

Goals:
0-1 Min 23. Mainz

Referee: Díaz de Mera Escuderos, Isidro.  Yellow cards were shown to ‘Malaguistas’: Alberto López (45’) and Rufo (74’), and from SD Ejea: Gracia Peña (33’), and Edu García (88’).  SD Ejea’s Toño was sent off following a double yellow card (10’ and 25’) and Recio (85’), along with coach Loreto, were also both sent off (27’).