The ‘Malaguistas’ have only come up against RC Deportivo de la Coruña once before in the Copa del Rey. It was in the knockout stages of the competition at the end of the 1999/2000 season, having eliminated Alzira in the first round. In the first leg, Málaga was defeated 1-0 at RC Deportivo de la Coruña’s stadium. However the Blue and Whites won by 2-1 in the return leg at La Rosaleda, thanks to goals from Agostinho and Catanha, however the value of away goals meant Deportivo qualified to the next stage of the competition.
Last season the Martiricos outfit was eliminated from the competition in the knockout round by CA Osasuna, led at the time by current Málaga CF coach, Javi Gracia. Again the double value of away goals meant the Blue and Whites were out of the tournament, following a 3-3 result at La Rosaleda and a 1-1 away draw.
In 2012/13 the ‘Malaguistas’ got further in the competition than ever before in Blue and Whites’ history. After eliminating Cacereño and Eibar SD in the first and second round respectively, Málaga CF faced FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals, and came close to reaching the semis. A spectacular match at the Nou Camp ended in a 2-2 draw, with Málaga goals from Iturra and Camacho. However in the return leg at La Rosaleda, the rival won by 2-4, despite an impressive performance by the home team. Joaquín scored the first goal of the game, and after FC Barcelona took the lead, Santa Cruz made it 2-2. Another two goals from Barcelona in stoppage time saw them clinch victory and earn a place in the semi-finals.
PHOTO: Return leg of the Copa del Rey knockout match against Barcelona in 2013.
