Málaga got off to a good start at the Martiricos ground tonight, trying their luck in the first few minutes of play; firstly, with a Filipenko header from a corner; then a subsequent action from Tighadouini that resulted in a disallowed goal. Strong attacking side, Mirandés closed lines until Málaga generated another chance in minute 10’, thanks to a close-range shot from Santa Cruz.
After the first 15 minutes the fate of the match didn’t alter. Then came flashes from Ontiveros who attempted to inject poison into the Burgos team’s three quarter line. Gracia’s men arrived in the rival’s half of the pitch against a Mirandés who were entrenched at the back. On his return to the pitch, Camacho put on a great display, increasing the ‘Malaguista’ play in midfield, although the scoreboard remained the same after 30 minutes.
It was Camacho in minute 34’ who attempted a shot at the target without success from the second line. The rival began to cause trouble with passes from Ion Vélez. However, Horta on the right wing maintained the rival’s nervousness, and came close to the opponent’s area in minute 37’. A header from Albentosa following a Boka free kick narrowly missed the post in the 40th minute, however at half-time the score remained 0-0.
In the second half the visitors stretched out their game play more than they did in the first 45 minutes. Following a few minutes of back and forth play, Gracia brought on Pablo in minute 55 to replace Camacho, who performed well on his return to the pitch. A little while later the coach chose to give a breath of fresh air to the left wing, bringing on Juankar in place of an applauded Ontiveros in the 61st minute, who made his starting-11 debut at La Rosaleda in official competition tonight.
The game darkened somewhat midway through the second half, with a Málaga who wanted to but couldn’t find the net, and Mirandés who had the advantage to qualify to the next round. In minute 69’, the last Blue and Whites’ last substitution saw Amrabat replace his countryman, Tighadouini upfront. However, in an isolated play on the left wing by the visitors, Lago Júnior put his team 0-1 in the lead in minute 73’, making it an aggregate lead of 1-3 against Málaga in the Cup tie.
The Blue and Whites felt the blow and in the final stretch of the match didn’t cause too much trouble for rival keeper, Raúl, except with a cross from Juankar in the 90th minute following a good pass from Amrabat, who again tried his luck in stoppage time. Tonight’s 0-1 win sees Mirandés reach the next stage of the Copa del Rey, a competition that remains historically elusive for Málaga CF.
