The match got underway with fast paced play from Málaga, who had the first two dangerous attacks of the match, as well as the first corner. An Atlético free kick led to a shot at goal by Isco, which was saved by French goalkeeper Courtois. He then went on stop Joaquín’s powerful shot at goal, with his fists. The locals reacted to Málaga’s attacking form, starting with Adrián, leading to a chance for Falcao, which resulted in a corner, nearly changing the dynamics of the first 10 minutes of the match.
As time went on, the match continued in much the same way, with Málaga creating the most goal opportunities, including impressive individual play from Joaquín and a shot by Eliseu that went above the bar. Both players opened up the Málaga attack, with good distance passes to Cazorla and Isco.
After 20 minutes, Málaga continued to dominate possession, keeping the ball in play for longer, despite being unable to convert chances into goals, the majority in the Courtois penalty area. A midfield pass from Joaquín which led to a dangerous header from Rondón, looked as though the visitors would be first on the leader board, but the ball went over the bar. Soon after, the international striker missed another shot at goal from directly in front of the penalty area. Almost immediately, Atlético’s Falcao also couldn’t convert a fantastic pass from Adrián into a goal.
Only minutes later, an amazing distance shot from Eliseu, from 30 metres away from the penalty area, went straight into the net, impossible for Atlético’s goalkeeper to stop. By minute 40, the Blue and Whites were a goal up, with the score remaining the same at half time.
The home side started the second half with a much stronger attacking display, in their search for an equaliser. A number of opportunities arose for Atlético, however none of which caused any real danger for Kameni. The Red and Whites continued their high energy, intense game play, though this provoked an increased attack by Málaga. Further opportunities to score came for the locals, which either went wide of the goal, or midfield passes that failed to reach the strikers.
Atlético’s fortune changed in the 68th minute, and a determined shot from directly in front of the penalty area, after a corner, resulted in Koke scoring the equaliser. With the score now level, Málaga coach Manuel Pellegrini, made two substitutions, bringing Van Nistelrooy and Seba Fernández on to the pitch, to replace Joaquín and Rondón. A fantastic chance for an unmarked Seba, was saved by Courtois, minutes after the Uruguay-born centre forward came on to the pitch.
The last 15 minutes of the match was fairly evenly balanced between both sides, with Málaga trying to dominate possession, and prevent the relentless attacking from Atlético. Just when the Blue and Whites looked to have the game under control, a Courtois goal kick reached Adrián, who outran the opposition and shot the ball straight past Kameni. With 11 minutes of normal time remaining, Atlético were in the lead by two goals to one.
In the final minutes, tension continued to grow, shown in the increased speed in game play by both teams. The locals were looking for their third goal, though Málaga, desperate for an equaliser, did have clear chances at goal, from corners, and dangerous play in the Red and Whites penalty area. A disallowed goal in the last few minutes for Málaga, saw the match end with a defeat for the visitors by 2-1. This result leaves the Blue and Whites in fourth place in the League with 55 points, three ahead of fifth placed Levante, and four behind Valencia in third place.
Match statistics
Atlético de Madrid: Courtois; Juanfran, Miranda, Godín, Filipe; Diego, Mario (Koke 57’), Tiago, Salvio, Adrián and Falcao
Málaga CF: Kameni; Sergio Sánchez, Demichelis, Weligton, Monreal; Isco, Camacho, Cazorla, Eliseu; Joaquín, Rondón
Goals:
0-1 (37’): Eliseu
1-1 (68): Koke
2-1 (79): Adrián
Referee:
Muñiz Fernández, (Asturias): Yellow cards were awarded to Atlético’s Mario, Tiago, Arda and Koke; as well as Málaga’s Weligton and Sergio Sánchez.
Information:
The 37th BBVA League match was held in the Vicente Calderón stadium in Madrid.
