The ‘Juvenil’ boys suffer minimal defeat by Getafe CF (0-1)
Málaga CF’s ‘Juvenil’ team lost to Getafe (0-1) in the first leg of the Copa del Rey knockout stage. The ‘Malaguistas’, who didn’t take advantage of their goal opportunities, saw Maño score the winning goal for the rival in the 73rd minute.
The ‘Malaguistas’ got off to a strong start, maintaining ball possession and creating the first scoring chances thanks to Pepín and Vela. Despite being in control of the majority of the game, the Blue and Whites were imprecise in their actions which prevented them from getting on the score board. The Madrid-based side kept the pressure on Málaga, and their physical endurance made sure they didn’t concede a goal in the first half.
In the second half of play, Málaga tried to improve their passes and ball control. Just when it looked as though the Blue and Whites felt comfortable on the pitch, Maño scored for Getafe following a defensive error which left him unmarked in front of Ballesté.
Ruano’s boys tried their best to equalise for the remainder of the match, against an exhausted rival, but constant breaks in play upset the rhythm of their gameplay, and they failed to get a goal despite generating many more chances than Getafe.
The Blue and Whites’ boys could still be saved in next weekend’s return leg. After the match, the ‘Malaguista’ coach commented: “The team still has a chance in this competition. A result like this happens when you don’t focus on the small details, so we need to go to Getafe knowing we need to score. We’ve been in worse situations than this throughout the season, and came out the other end to take the championship.”
Match stats:
Málaga CF: Ballesté, Iván Rodríguez, Samper, Calero, Cristian, Dani (Joseíto, 73’), Vela (Ismael, 75’), Pablo, Pirulo, Pepín (Jose Luis, 55’) and Mula (Miguel, 75’)
Getafe CF: Quesada, Muñoz, Marcos, Abraham, Héctor (Oviedo, 89’), Pedro, Manel (Ouail, 69’), Nico, Aguinaga (Maño, 61’), Emi (Álvaro, 79’) and Sergi (Megía, 79’).
Goal:
0-1 Min 73. Maño
Referee: Domínguez Cervantes, Abraham. Yellow cards were shown to Málaga’s Pirulo, and Getafe’s Marcos, Abraham and Pedro.
Information: President of Málaga CF, Sheikh Abdullah Ben Nasser Al Thani was present for this match.
