Málaga CF faced Real Zaragoza this Sunday 17th November at 21:00 at the historic Romareda stadium. This Matchday 15 fixture of LaLiga Hypermotion marked Málaga's final visit to the iconic stadium before its planned renovation in the upcoming season.
Sergio Pellicer’s starting line-up featured A. Herrero; Jokin, Nelson, Einar, Víctor; Luismi, Manu Molina, Larrubia, Kevin, Lobete, and Roko Baturina.
The match started evenly. The home team sought an early lead, but the visitors, wearing gold instead of their usual Blue and White, managed to confidently thwart their efforts.
Málaga CF soon grew into the attack, creating a series of chances. In the 19th minute, Kevin delivered a cross to Lobete, who charged forward to face the goal. However, he failed to make a solid connection with the ball, and the opposing goalkeeper easily secured it.
In the 22nd minute, Larrubia expertly controlled an excellent pass from Herrero on the left wing. He surged into the box, leaving two defenders behind, and surprised everyone with a low shot to the near post. Once again, Poussin managed to stop the attempt, though with much more difficulty this time, deflecting the ball onto the post.
Zaragoza responded in the 25th minute with a powerful and dangerous shot from former Málaga player Iván Calero. However, Herrero produced a spectacular save, extending a miraculous hand to deny the home side the goal.
Four minutes later (29’), Manu Molina unleashed a powerful, precise shot from the edge of the box, seemingly destined for the top corner. However, Zaragoza's Poussin once again denied the effort, tipping the ball away with his fingertips.
With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, the referee controversially sent off Kevin with a straight red card, deeming his tackle on an opponent to be aggressive. VAR reviewed the incident and showed the referee a replay for a more detailed analysis, but he chose to uphold his original decision.
Being reduced to 10 men didn’t faze Pellicer’s side, who stayed well-organised and managed to create three more chances. Lobete made a strong run down the left wing but couldn’t find the space to finish. Shortly after, Jokin attempted his luck from the opposite wing with a similar outcome.
Finally, Baturina spun brilliantly in the heart of the box and unleashed a surprising shot that struck the side netting. All of this action occurred during added time before the break, with the match still locked at 0-0.
After the restart, the home side pushed forward aggressively, aiming to capitalise on their numerical advantage. They created several early chances but failed to break through MCF's well-defended goal.
Sergio Pellicer made two substitutions during the half-time break, bringing on Castel for Baturina and Dani Sánchez for Víctor García.
In the 59th minute, Castel, one of the new arrivals, delivered an inviting ball into the box for Lobete. However, the home defence closed in quickly, preventing him from getting a clean shot on goal.
The locals pushed their lines forward in the following minutes, launching a relentless assault in search of the opening goal. Despite the intensity of Zaragoza's attacks, Málaga’s resolute defence, at times clearing the ball off the goal line, managed to hold firm.
Málaga CF concluded their visit to La Romareda with an impressive draw against a challenging opponent, having played over an hour with 10 men.