The rhythm at the start of the match wasn’t at such a high level, which tends to be the norm in pre-season games. Following a few minutes of back and forth, Juande Ramos’ team settled on the pitch with the coach’s classic 4-2-3-1 formation. The starting-11 for this presentation match in front of the fans included four summer signings: Koné, Llorente, Keko and Sandro. Sampdoria were well-armed at the back, with the odd shy counter-attack.
During the first half hour of play you could see certain details of the new 2016/17 Málaga, highlighting in particular Diego Llorente’s solvency and poise in defence. There were barely any clear goal opportunities for either side, although Pablo’s approaches on the second line for the Malaguistas caused some damage.
In minute 39, a cross from Ricca ended with a header towards the target by the young Castellón-born player, which led to a good save by rival keeper, Viviano.
Just before half-time, Keko appeared with an impressive individual action, in which he connected with Chory Castro, who crossed the ball allowing the right-winger to narrowly miss the target with a header in minute 44. At Málaga-born referee, Melero López’s half-time whistle, the score between Málaga and Sampdoria was 0-0.
In the second half, Mikel Villanueva came on in place of Diego Llorente, occupying central defence alongside Bakary Koné. In minute 48, another new signing, Sandro Ramírez, tried his luck with a direct free kick, sending the ball sailing over the crossbar. In the 54th minute, a booked Recio made way for another signing, Serbian-born Kuzmanovic. Soon after, a foul provoked by Sandro was sent near the target by Chory.
Fifteen minutes into the second half, a carousel of changes were made to both sides. For the Blue and Whites, Juande brought on Charles, Juanpi and another new face, Asturian-born Jony. The pace of play didn’t alter too much, as the Italians had a slight dominance in possession over the Malaguistas. In minute 73, a great free kick by Juanpi set up a header by Camacho inside the area, however Viviano prevented the possibility of a local goal.
In the final stage of play, Weligton, Juankar and Uruguayan, Santos, another new player, joined the match in minute 77. However, the scoreboard didn’t change before the final whistle, meaning the 32nd Costa del Sol Cup would be decided on penalties. With a 4-2 victory, the Cup stays at home, following a great performance by Kameni who saved two penalties, and who received a standing ovation by the excited Malaguista crowd.
Club president, Sheikh Al Thani and Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, presented team captains, Camacho and Weligton with the Cup, the 10th in the Club’s history. Seven titles have been won as MCF, and another three as Club Deportivo.
Match stats: Málaga CF 0 - UC Sampdoria 0 (Málaga won by 4-2 on penalties)
Málaga CF – Juande Ramos: Kameni; Rosales, Koné (Weligton 77’), Llorente (Mikel 46’), Ricca (Juankar 77’); Camacho, Recio (Kuzmanovic 54’); Keko (Juanpi 62’), Pablo (Charles 62’), Chory (Jony 62’) and Sandro (Santos 77’).
UC Sampdoria – Marco Giampaolo: Viviano; De Silvestri (Pavlovic 67’), Silvestre, Regini, Sala; Barreto (Ivan 86’), Torreira (Palombo 67’), Linetty (Eramo 60’); Schick (Djuricic 80’); Muriel (Budimir 60’) and Quagliarella.
Goals (Penalty shoot-out)
Santos (goal, 1-0); Quagliarella (saved by Kameni, 1-0); Juanpi (saved by Viviano, 1-0); Budimir (goal, 1-1); Charles (goal, 2-1); Djuricic (goal, 2-2); Mikel (goal, 3-2); Palombo (saved by Kameni, 3-2); Kuzmanovic (goal, 4-2).
Referee
Mario Melero López (Málaga). Yellow cards were shown to Malaguista, Recio and Budimir from the visitors.
Information
XXXII Costa del Sol Cup held at La Rosaleda in front of 13,520 fans. Before kick-off, a minute’s silence was held in memory of ex-CD Málaga player, Alfonso Navarro Bruna who recently passed away.
