Málaga CF and UD Las Palmas faced one another on matchday 38 of LaLiga SmartBank on this Friday night at Gran Canaria Stadium (22:00 mainland time).
Both teams tested each other in the early stages of play, but the rhythm increased as time went on. The locals stalked the Blue and White area in search of an opener. The well-organised Malaguista defence was able to deter the onslaught of the ‘pío-pío’ rival for over 20 minutes, but in the end the locals achieved their objective. Jonathan Viera surpassed a good Dani Martín with a tight shot to the post (1-0, 24’).
Following the rival goal, Guede’s men went all out on the attack in search of an equaliser. Vadillo, in 27’, came so close. After a great move into the area from the left, he tried his luck with a shot at the target that surprised the Las Palmas defence. However, it didn’t have the desired effect and the ball sailed a few centimetres from the post.
The Blue and Whites continued flirting with the goal. With more fluidity in midfield and an effective movement of the ball, they generated two more chances in minutes 30 and 36. Both actions ended with dangerous crosses from Víctor Gómez and Antoñín who couldn’t find a finisher.
Despite the attempts from both sides, the scoreboard remained at 1-0 at half-time.
In the second half, both teams matched the rhythm of the game. The visitors took possession of the ball early on and patiently tried to strike against the ironclad local defence.
The forces gradually equalised midway through the second half, with Las Palmas seeking to multiply their advantage. In one of the most promising chances, goalkeeper Dani Martín showed off his qualities as a goalkeeper neutralising a one-on-one with a stunning save (72').
Moving into the closing stages of play, Jesé scored the 2-0 for Las Palmas. The striker managed to find a gap in the Malaguista defence to net the second goal for his team (80’).
Pablo Guede’s men remained firmly focused on getting a goal that would put them in the game, with Roberto joining play.
Febas managed to beat the rival goal with a shot from the left after receiving a pass from Genaro (2-1, min85).
The goal spurred Málaga CF on, as they went in search of a draw that they narrowly missed out on in the 90th minute. Roberto headed a Cufré cross from the left into the area, but came up against a miraculous response from goalkeeper Álvaro Vallés.
The equaliser never came and the Malaguistas leave Las Palmas empty handed.
The next match is against Real Oviedo at La Rosaleda on Saturday 7th May at 18:15.
