The start of the match was a tussle between an Espanyol determined to gain possession in midfield, and a Málaga who, with the return of Ontiveros to the starting-11, and the home debut of the Demichelis-Luis Hernández pairing in central defence, sought to impose a more direct style, with an active Michael Santos on the attack. In minute 5, a pass from Chory set up a promising chance for ‘Pelo’, but lacked accuracy in the heart of Diego López’s area.
In minute 13, in an advance on the left, López was put to the test when he averted a shot at the target from the Malaguista number ‘10’, whose deflection was narrowly missed by Santos, who came close to glory again in minute 16. MCF’s growing dominance was cut short with a sporadic action by the visitors. Piatti, with a powerful, toxic long shot, put Espanyol in front (0-1, 17’).
Juanpi, in the 27th minute, tried his luck with a corner kick from the left of the Catalan area. In minute 31, following a foul by the Venezuelan, Santos and Demichelis both had strong options to score. Throughout the entire first half, Pablo Fornals attempted to overcome the lines of a well-positioned opponent, but at the half-time whistle, the visitors remained in the lead.
Málaga went all out in the second half. Juanpi forced Diego López into a fist save in minute 50. Spurred on by the enthusiastic crowd, the home side generated numerous corners, with Camacho close to an equaliser thanks to his power in aerial play. In minute 59, Charles came on in place of Santos, and a little while later, Keko substituted Chory in the 65th minute. Marcelo Romero completed the permitted changes by introducing Duda in place of Ontiveros in minute 71.
The match progressed with Espanyol safeguarding their advantage against a Málaga who refused to give up. In minute 81, a Charles left-footer was deflected following a pass from Pablo. The striker, with an impressive attempt at goal, pressed López into a great save in the 84th minute of play. Arrivals to the ‘Perico’ area continued until the end, but there was no reward for the Malaguistas.
As such, Málaga CF remains in 14th place in LaLiga Santander with 22 points, following 21 matches in the competition.
