Joaquín Caparrós’s team got on the score board first in the second half, thanks to a goal from Tomer, whilst Málaga’s Juanmi scored the equaliser for the Blue and Whites, as a result of impressive play with Portillo. Eliseu was sent off in the final few minutes as the ref believed he assaulted Pina, leaving Pellegrini’s team with only 10 men just before the final whistle.
The match got underway with an almost instant goal opportunity for Mallorca, following a foul by Sergio Sánchez. However the Blue and Whites were quick to gain possession, and in one of the first attempts at goal, a midfield shot by Monreal was allegedly touched by the hand of one of the Mallorca’s defenders, which should have led to a penalty according to the local side.
The first goal attempt came just 10 minutes into the match, with a shot from Monreal, which went too far to the right of keeper Aouate. Isco and Monreal really stepped up Málaga’s attack, however in minute 35, Tomer found himself practically flying solo facing Willy Caballero, but failed to convert his chance into a goal.
The Blue and Whites had two opportunities to get on the score board in the 40th minute, following an impressive display on the pitch, leading to a shot by Buonanotte, which just missed the Mallorca goal. The goal kick landed at Portillo’s feet, but again, he failed to score. The locals were dominating the game just before the half time whistle, though Mallorca did create a lot of danger for Málaga in the few chances at goal they had during the first 45 minutes.
The second half got underway with a similar style of play shown in the first half. Málaga continued their control of the ball and goal chances, but didn’t cause too much trouble for Mallorca, though the visitors appeared to be moving in and getting much closer to the penalty area. Following a foul on Buonanotte in minute 67, which the referee ignored, Caparrós’s team went on the counter-attack, and a header by Tomer put them in the lead by 0-1.
With the introduction of Eliseu and Juanmi, the Blue and Whites went in search of the equaliser. A fantastic display by Portillo in front of the six yard box, led to a brilliant pass to Juanmi, who shot the ball straight into the net, past Aouate, to see Málaga even out the score to 1-1. The Coín-born player dedicated the goal to Miguel Zambrana, whose father recently passed away, and who the minute’s silence was dedicated to before the match.
Joaquín kept Mallorca on their toes in the final stage of the game, with a header in the 83rd minute just missing the goal. The Blue and Whites really gave it their all in their attempt to score the winning goal. The final few minutes were full of emotion and tension, particularly when the referee sent Eliseu off, after an alleged assault on Pina. With Málaga a man down, Mallorca had their final chance to score a second goal with a shot by Alfaro, however a fantastic save by Willy Caballero prevented the visitors from sealing their victory.
With this draw, Málaga now have four points in the League, ahead of their trip to Athens on Monday, where they’ll face Panathinaikos in the return leg of the Champions League play-off. The team has their last training session on Sunday at 11 a.m. in La Rosaleda, before they leave for Greece.
Match stats
MÁLAGA CF: Willy, Sergio Sánchez, Weligton, Demichelis, Monreal, Camacho, Duda, Portillo, Isco (Joaquín, min. 82), Buonanotte (Juanmi, min. 67) and Seba (Eliseu, min. 67).
RCD MALLORCA: Aouate, Pina, A. López, Pereira, Nsue, Tomer (Alfaro, min. 80), J. Márquez (Joao, min. 61), Nunes, Bigas, Casadesús and Ximo.
GOALS:
0-1: Tomer (min. 67).
1-1: Juanmi (min. 75)
REFEREE: Jesús Gil Manzano, ‘Colegio Extremeño’. Yellow cards were given to J. Márquez (min. 42), Casadesús (min. 57) Demichelis (min. 73), Pina (min. 82), Aouate (min. 83) and Duda (min. 85). Eliseu was shown a red card (min. 88).
INFORMATION: The second BBVA League match of the season, held at La Rosaleda in front of 23,542 fans. A minute’s silence was held in memory of former Málaga CF adviser, ‘Pepillo’ Zambrana, who passed away last week.