A rainy Sunday afternoon at Martiricos with a notable presence of Almería supporters in the stands. On the pitch, Funes made two changes compared to his previous starting-11 in Albacete: Murillo replaced the physically unfit Recio in defence, and Chupe took Jauregi’s place up front.
In the 6th minute, Málaga almost took the lead with a good shot from Dani Lorenzo, which Andrés Fernández blocked. In the opening stages of the match, Joaquín was very active on the left offensive flank for the Blue and Whites.
Arribas, on two occasions, threatened for Rubi’s side in the 11th and 16th minutes with shots that were both blocked by Alfonso Herrero. In the 29th minute, Almería had another chance when Álex Muñoz hit the post from a corner.
But it was Málaga CF who took the lead. Chupe won a duel on the baseline against Aridane and set up Dani Lorenzo, who finished perfectly in the six-yard box (1-0, 33’). It was the midfielder from Marbella’s second consecutive goal, and his third of the season.
The Red and Whites looked for an equaliser with a few isolated approaches before half-time, but the score remained unchanged at 1-0.
At the restart, both Málaga CF and UD Almería stuck to their respective game plans. Rubi’s men, with Arribas and Embarba always posing a threat. In the 62nd minute, Lopy forced Herrero into action, who caught the ball in two difficult attempts.
Funes made his first substitution in minute 66, with Rafa coming on for Dotor. Immediately after, the referee awarded a penalty to UD Almería. Arribas calmly and skilfully converted to make it 1-1 (69’).
In the 72nd minute, David Larrubia tested Andrés Fernández with a long-range shot that deflected off a defender. Niño and Aaron Ochoa replaced Izan Merino and Joaquín in the 74th minute. One minute later, Adrián Niño fired a powerful shot over the crossbar.
Then, in the final stretch, came Málaga’s second goal. A counterattack led by Ochoa ended with Niño, whose shot was blocked by the visiting defence but fell to Chupe, who finished past Andrés from close range (2–1, 81’). The Blue and White striker’s sixth league goal sparked euphoria in the stands.
Haitam and Lobete replaced Larrubia and Chupe in minute 84, Funes’ final substitutions of the match. After five minutes of added time, with a final great save by Herrero before the final whistle, the 2-1 victory gave Málaga CF three more points, closing the football year with 26 in their tally in the middle of LALIGA HYPERMOTION. Vamos, Málaga!