Sergio Pellicer, Málaga CF coach, appeared in the ‘Juan Cortés’ Press Room at La Rosaleda following the 3-0 win against Real Zaragoza.

“Big thanks to the fans, 16,000 people here on a Monday. With all the suffering we’ve been going through and the signs from the team, we are indebted to them. This is the key to believing, it’s the victory of hope, we have to convey the unity from the pitch,” he started out by saying. “We knew they were dangerous in transitions. There was a key play, the last one (of the first half). Error and the faith to believe. An action by ‘Rama’ caused the mistake,” continued Pellicer.

Regarding the colossal second half “we were better than them and I’m happy for the people who came on, they gave us calm and efficiency. We congratulate a legend, we’re lucky to have him at Málaga. You see him train and he sets an example,” he said about Rubén Castro.

Pellicer conveys a clear message of calm: “We have to be very balanced. I’m already thinking about Granada. We haven’t achieved two consecutive victories and we need them. There’s so much at stake. This licks our wounds, but they are still open. Tomorrow, we press on. We cannot lower the level, this is the level of the team.” And a message of hope. “Let this be a victory of hope, to believe. We weren't giving the right signals. With this, we’ll move closer to being able to compete until the end. Next Monday we have another final, against another great team, with the intention of competing,” he added.

In relation to Rubén Castro's historical record, he stressed that “a player with that number of goals under his belt will score goals forever. His teammates help him, it's an individual record with the help of his teammates and the competition between the strikers, which makes him improve every day. Rubén's record will go down in history. He has two goals left to be named the top scorer in the Second Division (…) “It’s his job and all the coaches he has had in his career. At his age, he is an example. I see it every day, he has the enthusiasm of a child and the maturity of an adult. He is the best finisher in the box that I’ve ever had”.

Regarding the fans: “If we give, the fans are always there. That’s the best thing.” And on a personal level, he concluded: “I’m prepared to take on everything. We drew with Sporting, suffered a hard blow against Oviedo, we go to Albacete and it’s also difficult. The wound is still very open, but it’s a challenge for everyone. We're going to give our all.”