A very warm afternoon and a great atmosphere in the stands marked the start of the season at Martiricos. Pellicer’s first starting-11 of the campaign was: A. Herrero (c); C. Puga, Pastor, Montero, Víctor; Luismi, Izan M., Dotor; D. Larrubia, Lobete, and Niño. It was the official debut in the Blue and White shirt for Montero in defence, Dotor in midfield, and Niño up front.
Before kick-off, as is tradition at the start of every season, an emotional minute of silence was observed in memory of the members, players, and club officials with ties to Málaga who passed away this year and the previous one.
Málaga started out very focused and incisive, especially down the left side with Víctor and Lobete active. Shortly before the midway point of the first half, Luismi was forced off after suffering a knock that caused a facial contusion. Dani Lorenzo came on in his place in the 21st minute. A minute later, Carlos Puga produced the first shot on target from the right flank, which was denied by the visiting goalkeeper.
At the half-hour mark, a much-needed hydration break was taken due to the sweltering heat. The team kept pushing for a goal against a very solid Eibar defence, but the score remained unchanged at half-time.
At the restart, Murillo replaced Puga at right back. Eibar took the lead with their first clear chance, thanks to Martón’s opportunism (0-1, 52’). Pellicer reacted by bringing on Joaquín and Chupe for Lobete and Dotor in the 57th minute.
Shortly after, Adrián Niño joined Málaga CF’s list of ‘debut goal scorers’ by beating Magunagoitia with a powerful long-range strike (1-1, 64’). In the 78th minute, Chupe created a good chance in the box from the left side. On that same flank, Dani Sánchez came on for Víctor in the 82nd minute to freshen up the left back position.
In the tense final stages, with the score still level, Málaga made their last substitution in the 91st minute: Rafa on for goal scorer Niño. After seven minutes of added time, the referee blew the final whistle with the score at 1-1.
Málaga CF kicks off the championship by adding their first point to the tally. Next Sunday, also at La Rosaleda, they will play their second league match against another Basque side: Real Sociedad ‘B’.
