Manel Ruano’s team had a clear objective in this first leg. To maintain a clean sheet and score at least one goal. And with that premise they stepped on to the main pitch at Ciudad Deportiva de la Federación Malagueña. The Blue and Whites were all fired up, dominating in all aspects of the game. Ontiveros tried his luck from midfield two minutes after kick off, however the ball went high. That was the first warning. The second clear opportunity came about for Javi Jiménez, who was unmarked in front of the Segoviana keeper, but he rejected his shot at the target. Immediately afterwards, Wojcik turned his back on the Segoviano defence and served up the ball on a platter to Kuki. The talented midfielder struck hard on the post to open the scoring (14’). Following the Malaguista goal, Gimnástica Segoviana had no option but to advance metres and search for Blue and Whites’ goalkeeper, Aarón’s area. After a few attempts, the rival only enjoyed a few opportunities to score in the first half.
In the second half, with fatigue mounting after the first 45 minutes, more spaces began to appear and the match lost control at times. However, quality overcame the physical aspect, and Atlético Malagueño came close to increasing their lead. Firstly, Wojcik with a shot at goal, then Kuki minutes later, tried their luck, but didn’t manage to score a second. With three minutes remaining until the final whistle, Mula was alone in front of the Segoviana goal, although his shot was repelled by the keeper. Kuki’s was the only goal of the game, leaving the tie wide open ahead of the return leg, however Ruano’s boys do have a slight advantage.
