A chilly, sunny Sunday morning with over a hundred enthusiastic fans in the stands at Roma Luz. On the pitch, Ayala selected the following starting-11: María Arrabal in goal; Encarni, Ruth ©, Silvia Mérida and Yoli in defence; Farfán, María Cortés and Teté in midfield; Bertuchi, Torralvo and Carmen Gómez on the attack.

Before kick-off, a minute’s silence was held in memory of the mother of Estrella, women’s ‘cadete’ coach in 1ª Andaluza, who passed away on Saturday.

The first half was even between both sides, with a well-positioned Cádiz in defence, making it impossible for Málaga to generate any dangerous actions. Torralvo on the right and the threat of Carmen in the rival area, were the standout plays of the first half. At half-time the scoreboard remained all square at 0-0.

In the second half, Marina and Claudia joined the game. Shortly afterwards, Ayala introduced another double substitution, bringing on Lorena and Futu. The forward had a great chance to tip the balance midway through the second half with a one-on-one against former Malaguista keeper, Lucía.

MCFF generated opportunities and reached the rival area but lacked aim to open the scoring. Reserve team player Pastora was Ayala’s fifth substitution, reinforcing the double pivot together with María Cortés. In stoppage time, the play stemmed from the Sevilla-born player leading to another win for the Malaguistas. A precise lateral free-kick by María was headed into goal by an imposing, accurate Silvia Mérida (1-0, 94’). The delighted crowd applauded the players who never lost faith and claimed the three points with a great deal of suspense in this epic match.

After 11 games in the competition, Málaga CF have accumulated 10 victories and one draw, remaining at the top of the table with 31 points out of a possible 33. Next week the girls are away from home against second-placed CD Badajoz.