The Malaguistas were away to the Red and Whites on matchday 14 of LaLiga SmartBank on this chilly night in November.
Both sides tested each other in the initial stages of play. The locals and visitors shared possession, but it was the Blue and Whites – dressed in yellow this evening – who had the first serious warning. In minute 19, a great combinative display from Ismael, Joaquín and Chavarría introduced the ball to the heart of the area. Yanis Rahmani came close to a finisher, but the ball narrowly missed out on the target.
Minutes after the aforementioned attempt, in 32’, Málaga CF took the lead. Escassi scored his first goal with the Blue and Whites thanks to an accurate header from a Yanis cross. The defender adjusted the shot to the far post to secure the visitors’ 0-1 lead.
After just 60 seconds, the rival responded with a close-range shot that was intercepted with some impressive reflexes from Dani Barrio.
Following another chance for the Malaguistas, a long shot from Luis Muñoz that flew over the crossbar, the scoreboard remained at 0-1 at half-time.
In the second half the tone of the match remained the same. Both teams put up a tough fight to dominate play.
Luis Muñoz excited the Blue and White dugout with the clearest opportunity of the second half. The captain found himself in a one-on-one following a rapid counter-attack, and launched a powerful shot at goal, but the ball hit the crossbar (80’).
At the referee’s final whistle, the three points from matchday 14 are coming back to Málaga.
