Whilst it may be true that the Trofeo Ciudad de Granada has a friendly character, both Granada CF and Málaga CF tried to show the best of themselves. Despite the defeat, the Blue and Whites had some top-quality moments, and the result could well have been different. Borja Bastón and Juanpi generated the best Malaguista opportunities, whilst Andrés, in the final stretch of the game, showed he can fight for a place in the starting-11.
Although kick-off was at 21:30, and the heat was felt throughout Nuevo Los Cármenes Stadium, the match got off to a cold start. Granada and Málaga, with two different styles of football, were unable to overcome the rival. Both the home side and the Blue and Whites were well-positioned defensively on the pitch, and had to wait until the 19th minute for the first clear chance, resulting from a free kick from the left. Germán headed the ball into the back of the net but it was declared offside.
This opportunity gave the locals encouragement, and they went on to dominate 10 consecutive minutes following the disallowed goal, but didn’t manage to create any chances. As the moon appeared over the sierra, Málaga CF began to control the match. This improvement in sensations led to the best minutes of play in the first half for Míchel’s men. A superb combination between Jony and Mula in a counter-attack resulted in the most promising chance for Málaga within the initial 45 minutes. Borja Bastón received a magnificent pass from Mula, and from inside the area, and barely without an angle, he propelled the ball to the target, forcing a Javi Varas deflection off the crossbar.
With the scoreboard at 0-0, there was a sense that both teams were on an even keel as half-time arrived. In the second half, Míchel made up to six substitutions to reorganise his team, bringing on En-Nesyri, Juanpi, Cecchini, Chory Castro, Cifu and Baysse. The six new players came out with less pace than the rival, who continued with the same line-up. The first 10 minutes of the second half were dominated by Granada, and culminated in the only goal of the match, following a defensive error on clearance by goalkeeper, Cenk Gonen.
It was then that Málaga stepped up and began to dominate and cause danger. The entrance of Andrés, Diego González, Recio, Adrián and Iván Rodríguez gave Málaga the boost they needed to try and turn the match around.
A very active Iván Rodríguez made two very good centres from the right that weren’t rewarded with a goal. The first was a shot from Juanpi, and later an En-Nesyri header. Also with a header, Diego González arrived to connect two impressive free kicks by Recio, which came close to Málaga CF’s much-needed equaliser.
In the last stages of the match, with Málaga CF on the lookout to even up the scoreboard, Andrés became the nightmare of the Granada strikers with two superb saves.
It wasn’t to be, and Granada are proclaimed champions of the Trofeo Ciudad de Granada after defeating Málaga by 1-0. Congratulations!
