On this chilly Saturday night there was a show of solidarity between both teams for the people of Ukraine, under the slogan #STOPINVASION. On the pitch, Natxo González changed his scheme. After opting for three central defenders last week in Lezama, the coach regained Alberto Escassi tonight who was on the pivot in substitution of injured defender Peybernes. The other change to the starting-11 saw Jairo on the wing in place of Pablo Chavarría.
Ponferradina showed great personality on the pitch, generating a couple of chances in the first few minutes. In 7’, Agus Medina forced a great save from Dani Barrio as the ball grazed the left post.
Little by little, Málaga began to shake off the rival’s dominance. Febas, between the lines, and Vadillo on the left, appeared midway through the first half. In 35’, Juande was forced to abandon play due to injury, making way for ‘Juvenil’ Andrés Caro. The Blue and Whites subdued Bolo’s men in the closing stages of the first 45 minutes, but the scoreboard stayed at 0-0.
At the start of the second half, MCF could have taken the lead. In 49’, a cross from Víctor Gómez on the right saw Brandon, held back by a defender, send the ball to the post, despite the grab inside the area (not checked by VAR). Five minutes later, Vadillo tried his luck with a low shot that skimmed the post. Natxo’s second substitution arrived in 63’, with Paulino replacing Jairo. In 73’ and 75’, with two left-footers in front of the target, Cufré and Escassi made attempts, but both were saved by Amir.
Chavarría, Roberto and Javi Jiménez, in 77’, came on in place of Brandon, Vadillo and Cufré. Javi, in 87’, was close to a goal with a shot that was saved by the rival and sailed over the crossbar. Málaga forced several corners and fought for victory until the end, but the match ended in a goalless draw.
Another point to total 37 in the standings, leaving Málaga CF in a provisional 16th place in LaLiga SmartBank.
