A Saturday afternoon with a great atmosphere in the stands to welcome a historic team in Spanish football, Real Oviedo, featuring two notable former Malaguistas: Javi Calleja on the bench and Santi Cazorla on the pitch.
Sergio Pellicer made three changes to his lineup from the previous match against Cádiz, bringing in Puga and Einar in defence instead of Gabilondo and Monte, and replacing Sangalli with Dani Lorenzo in midfield. This formed a line-up with up to five Malagueño players: the aforementioned Dani, homegrown player Izan, and the attacking trio of Kevin, Larrubia, and Dioni.
The first dangerous Malaguista attempt came in the 6th minute from Kevin. After that, the Oviedo players created several interesting situations through Moyano, twice, and Ylias, with two other chances. The clearest opportunity came in the 12th minute after a corner kick from Cazorla, resulting in a deflected shot that Manu Molina cleared off the line.
Málaga grew particularly strong down the left wing, with Kevin Medina very active and Víctor García continuously overlapping on the wing. Meanwhile, Oviedo's offensive initiative decreased in the final stretch of the first half. At half-time, the score was 0-0.
At the start of the second half Málaga made a double substitution. Gabilondo and Ochoa replaced Puga and Dani Lorenzo, respectively. In the 47th minute, Alemao fired a strong shot from inside the box, but Herrero made a great save.
The Málaga fans, as always, were uplifting their team in search of the first goal to break the deadlock. The visitors continued with their game plan, creating a few set piece opportunities with Santi Cazorla orchestrating the play. The ‘8’ from Oviedo, who was substituted in the 63rd minute, received applause from the Martiricos crowd, who did the same shortly after for Javi Calleja.
In the 64th minute, Sergio Castel came onto the field to replace Kevin, allowing Málaga to play with a ‘double nine’ formation, featuring the Madrid striker and Dioni at the front of the attack. In the 71st minute, Dioni nearly scored a stunning goal with an impressive curling shot, which was saved by another former Málaga player, Aarón Escandell.
In the 77th minute, Pellicer made his fourth substitution: Lobete replaced Larrubia. Málaga intensified their attacks near the Oviedo goal, but in the 81st minute, Alfonso Herrero made a monumental save in a one-on-one against Hassan after a counterattack.
Antoñito Cordero came on for Dioni in the 84th minute. Two minutes later, the Jerez player attempted a direct free kick, but Aarón saved the shot. Paraschiv nearly scored for Oviedo during stoppage time with a shot that grazed the left post. As the match was nearing its end, Galilea was brought down in the box by a clear foul. The referee, following VAR's guidance, awarded the penalty. In the 106th minute, Antoñito took a powerful shot but Aarón saved the penalty kick.
A 0-0 final score, and another point for Málaga CF, which marks their third consecutive draw. After 10 matchdays in the league, they have accumulated a total of 13 points in the standings.
