A rainy Saturday night and an Andalusian derby kicked off March, with many Malaguistas heading to the UD Almería Stadium. It was a special day for head coach Sergio Pellicer, who matched Juan Ramón Muñiz as the second manager with the most official games in charge of Málaga CF (158), only behind the legendary Joaquín Peiró (224).
Pellicer made changes in all areas except for the goalkeeper position, where Alfonso Herrero remains the only player in the squad to have played every minute of every league match. Pastor replaced the injured Einar in defence; Luismi and Ochoa came into midfield for Izan Merino and Larrubia; and Chupe started up front in place of Baturina.
Almería took an early lead on the scoreboard. A brilliant through ball from Lopy found Baptistao, who slotted it into the net from a tight angle (1-0, 11’). Lobete produced Málaga’s first shot on target in the 17th minute. In the 21st minute, Arribas, initially offside, though the referee let play continue, forced Herrero into a crucial save. The Madrid youth product remained active and came close to scoring in the 26th minute with a shot just inside the post.
That same minute, Ramón had to leave the midfield due to injury, making way for Izan Merino. Suárez nearly scored with a header in the 28th minute, sending it just over the crossbar. Five minutes later, Nelson Monte received a yellow card that will see him suspended. In the 34th minute, Kevin had a chance to equalise with a powerful long-range strike. The rain intensified in Almería, and in the 40th minute, Alfonso Herrero denied Pubill a second goal with a spectacular save from a corner kick.
Just before half-time, Arribas once again came close to scoring with a dangerous shot near the post. The first half ended with a narrow lead for the home side.
At the restart, Antoñito and Baturina replaced Kevin and Chupe. In the 50th minute, Dani Sánchez nearly scored directly from a corner kick. Shortly after, Arribas confirmed his outstanding performance by netting Almería’s second goal (2-0, 53’). However, Málaga CF didn’t back down and quickly pulled one back through Dani Sánchez, who unleashed a sensational long-range strike that smashed into the net (2-1, 55’). It was the Málaga left-back’s second goal in as many games.
Shortly afterwards, Ochoa won a penalty, which another reserve team player, Antoñito, confidently converted to level the match (2-2, 62’). It was the Jerez-born winger’s fifth goal of the season. In the 68th minute, Luismi received his 10th yellow card of the campaign, meaning he will serve a suspension.
In the 75th minute, Juanpe replaced Ochoa to strengthen the midfield, and towards the final moments of the match, Yanis came on for Lobete. In the closing stages, Almería had a golden chance to take the lead right at the 90th minute. Following a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty for a shirt pull by Nelson Monte inside Málaga’s box. Luis Javier Suárez, the league’s top scorer, stepped up to take the penalty but smashed his shot against the crossbar.
After seven minutes of added time, the final whistle confirmed a dramatic 2-2 draw in this thrilling Andalusian clash. Málaga CF now sit at 39 points in the standings, maintaining their mid-table position after 29 league matches. Vamos, Málaga!
