There was a gala atmosphere at Martiricos, with a strong turnout of Red and White supporters who travelled from Granada. On the pitch, Sergio Pellicer made two changes to his starting-11 compared to the previous match against Castellón: Nelson Monte came into the centre of defence for the suspended Pastor, and Luismi replaced Manu Molina in midfield.
Málaga started strongly and nearly took the lead in the 12th minute when Lobete went one-on-one with Mariño, who made a last-ditch save to keep the ball out. Chupe, with a header from the resulting corner (13'), and Cordero, with a shot just over the bar (20'), reinforced the Blue and Whites’ dominance.
In the 27th minute, Chupe earned a penalty that Antoñito Cordero calmly converted (1-0, 28’). It was the sixth goal of the season for the winger from Jerez, putting him just one behind top scorer Dioni.
Driven by a brilliant David Larrubia and the support of their fans, the team pushed for a second goal. Lobete tried his luck from distance in the 34th minute, and Cordero forced Mariño into a save from a wide free-kick in the 45th. Granada, outplayed, posed little threat to Alfonso Herrero’s goal in the first half. At the break, it was 1-0.
At the start of the second half came Granada CF's best chance. Boyé, from a direct free kick, came very close to Herrero’s top corner (49’). Just a minute later, Murillo sent a shot over the crossbar following a corner. The homegrown centre-back, positioned on the right side of the defence, once again performed his ‘2’ role effectively.
In minute 53, Chupe tested Mariño’s reflexes with a shot that was headed just inside the left post. Lobete kept pressing in the 56th with a high strike from the edge of the box, and tried again in the 66th on a quick counterattack. The Basque forward was causing real problems drifting out to the left wing.
Málaga CF stuck perfectly to their game plan, containing their opponent with barely a crack in their defence. Pellicer made changes in the 71st minute, bringing on Manu Molina and Víctor for Luismi and Dani Sánchez, who left the pitch to a warm ovation. Fran Escribá also made several substitutions in an attempt to liven up his attack and find an equaliser in the final stretch.
Granada-born Carlos Puga came on in the 79th minute to replace goal scorer Antoñito Cordero. With five minutes left in regulation time, Yanis Rahmani and Dioni replaced Lobete and Chupe, using up Málaga’s remaining substitutions. In stoppage time, during two counterattacks, Yanis missed the chance to score a second for Málaga with two shots taken with his weaker right foot.
The scoreline remained unchanged, marking a second consecutive 1-0 home victory that puts Málaga CF on 49 points after 38 matchdays in LALIGA HYPERMOTION. Vamos, Málaga!
