There was a good crowd in the Martiricos stands on this sunny afternoon, and on the pitch, there was just one change to Guede’s starting-11 compared to the last match in Miranda de Ebro. Ramón replaced injured Ramalho. The system was a 1-4-4-2 formation with Genaro as central defender and Escassi as defensive midfielder.
Albacete converted their first two opportunities. First Higinio (0-1, 5’) and Manu Fuster (0-2, 7’) straight after, gave the visitors a key advantage. A great attempt from Rubén Castro could have been a goal in 11’. MCF, spurred on by the fans, continued to advance upfront. Escassi, after making the most of the clearance from the rival keeper of his own shot, narrowed the gap (1-2, 18’). A minute later, Bernabé deflected a cross from Fran Sol.
The Blue and Whites' momentum was slowed down by the injury of referee Aitor Gorostegui, which stopped the match for several minutes halfway through the first half. As play resumed, 'Alba' would have scored again had it not been for Manolo Reina’s save. In the 35th minute, Reina appeared again to deflect a shot from Álvaro Rodríguez.
The final stretch of the first half, with six minutes of stoppage time, was further extended by a collision between Juanfran and Higinio without consequences for the Malaguista number ‘2’. At half-time the scoreboard showed 1-2.
Guede made a double substitution in the second half. N’Diaye made his ‘re-debut’ with the Blue and Whites, who joined the game with Jozabed in place of Ramón and Genaro. Rubén Castro sent out a warning in 46’ with a left-footer deflected by Bernabé. In minute 54, the striker from the Canary Islands had a double chance, first with a shot that hit the right post and a second cleared by a rival.
Málaga dominated their opponent and looked for an equaliser with courage and heart. In minute 61, following a corner, Fran Sol almost had it. Hervías replaced Juanfran (70'), the third Malaguista substitution just before the second hydration break of the match. Then in minute 83, Fran Villalba replaced Juande, moving N'Diaye back to the centre of the defence.
An attempt from Rubén Castro, the culmination of a counterattack, slammed into the side of the net in the 84th minute. A minute later, Guede made his last substitution, bringing on Chavarría for Gallar. Despite trying until the end, MCF didn’t manage to go level and the rival took all three points.
After four matches in LaLiga SmartBank so far, Málaga CF have scored three out of a possible 12 points.
