A very hot afternoon with a spectacular atmosphere in the stands of Martiricos, including a good number of visiting fans who travelled from Cádiz. On the pitch, Pellicer made several changes to his starting-11: Einar on the right side of the defence replaced homegrown player Recio; Brasanac and Dani Lorenzo came in for Dotor and the injured Joaquín in midfield; and Niño on the left wing replaced Lobete.
Málaga had their first shot on goal in the 5th minute, after a good individual run by David Larrubia down the right. Two minutes later, Dani Lorenzo had a chance to make it 1-0 with a direct strike from the edge of the six-yard box, but it went over the bar.
Cádiz responded in the 8th minute with a shot that grazed García Pascual's crossbar. Then, as an attempt from the Benalmádena-born striker was blocked by Herrero, Cádiz took the lead through Ortuño (0-1, 18’).
Around the 30th minute, following a much-needed hydration break due to the prevailing heat, Lobete replaced Adrián Niño, who was struggling with his left ankle. Dani Lorenzo and David Larrubia tried again before half-time, but without success. At the break, it was 0-1.
In the second half, Málaga made a double substitution: Dotor and Dani Sánchez replaced Darko and Víctor, respectively. Tactically, Pellicer adjusted the formation, deploying three central defenders with Einar now positioned on the left of Montero, while Murillo shifted between full-back and centre-back depending on whether the team was in a defensive or offensive phase.
In the 58th minute, García Pascual appeared again with a powerful shot that hit the left post of Herrero’s goal. In minute 66, Málaga had a double chance: Dani Lorenzo’s shot was saved by Aznar, and on the rebound, Chupe struck the ball at the goalkeeper again (the referee called offside).
Rafa came on in the 71st minute, replacing Juanpe. Málaga pressed forward, driven by their fans, in search of an equaliser. The final Málaga substitution, in the 82nd minute, was very offensive: striker Jauregi replaced centre-back Montero. Right after coming on, Eneko had a chance to score with the first ball he touched in the box.
In the final moments, Cádiz continued to hold on to their narrow lead against a Málaga side that never stopped fighting for an equaliser. In stoppage time, Jauregi had a clear header to level the score, but it wasn’t to be, and the Cádiz team took the victory by the smallest margin.
Málaga CF remain with eight points in the standings after six LALIGA HYPERMOTION matches and suffer their first defeat of the season at La Rosaleda.
