Málaga CF defeated UD Las Palmas away from home in the first leg of the promotion playoff semifinals to the First Division. Larrubia scored the winning goal for Málaga.
Málaga Club de Fútbol and Unión Deportiva Las Palmas faced off in the first leg of the promotion playoff semifinal for a place in the First Division, at Estadio Gran Canaria. Around 500 Malaguistas were present in the stands, backing their team.
On the pitch, Funes named the following starting lineup: Alfonso Herrero; C. Puga, Murillo, Einar, Rafita; Dotor, Izan M., Dani Lorenzo; Aaron Ochoa, D. Larrubia, and Chupe.
The first half was fiercely contested, with both sides looking to dominate possession. Málaga CF created several chances during the opening 45 minutes and came close to taking the lead on multiple occasions.
In minute 7, Chupe tried his luck from the edge of the box, forcing the home goalkeeper to push the ball out for a corner. From the resulting set piece, the number 9 rose highest in the area but headed Aaron Ochoa’s delivery just wide of the target.
Einar thought he had opened the scoring with an acrobatic finish in the 13th minute following a wide free-kick, but the referee disallowed the goal for an attacking foul. Later, in minute 27, Larrubia headed over the bar from a cross delivered by Chupe. In the 40th minute, Einar was forced off through injury and was replaced by Javi Montero.
Just before half-time, in the 44th minute, Dotor went down in the penalty area after being challenged from behind, but the referee waved play on. The teams went into the break level at 0-0.
After the break, Joaquín replaced Aaron Ochoa on the left side of Málaga’s attack. The same number 11 produced a brilliant individual move that nearly resulted in the opening goal in the 56th minute.
Just a minute later, in the 57th, Málaga CF finally broke the deadlock. Chupe drove into the box and attempted a left-footed shot, but didn’t strike it cleanly, and the ball fell to Dani Lorenzo. The number 22 then flicked it with a backheel, setting up Larrubia for a clear strike. Larrubia deceived the goalkeeper and made it 0-1.
Rafa came on in place of ‘assistant’ Dani Lorenzo in the 64th minute to strengthen the midfield. In the final stages (minute 82), Chupe and Dotor were replaced by Niño and Darko. The Serbian midfielder, right at the edge of the 90th minute, had a chance to make it 0-2 in a one-on-one, but the home goalkeeper Horkas denied him.
The 0-1 final result gives Málaga CF an advantage heading into the second leg of the promotion playoff semifinal for a place in the elite, taking place on Wednesday at 21:00 at La Rosaleda.
Vamos, Málaga!