This LaLiga Santander matchday 15 clash kicked off at midday, under a soft ‘txirimiri’ that contributed to the sliding of the ball on the pitch at Anoeta. The locals began an insistent search for the Malaguista goal but the Blue and Whites’ defence (on this occasion dressed in orange) stayed firm, preventing the ‘Txurriurdin’ side from taking the lead. As time went on, the Málaga CF players matched the strength of the home side, and increased their presence in the vicinity of the opposing goal area.
So much so, that good pressure from Keko in minute 22 allowed Borja to find himself in a one-on-one with goalkeeper, Rulli. The number ‘9’ was tripped up inside the area, and stumbled whilst attempting to continue the play. His shot was cleared on the goal line, leading the referee to cancel the advantage rule and award a penalty. Borja converted from the 11-metre mark to open the scoring (0-1, 23’).
Following the goal, the Malaguistas and Realistas exchanged opportunities without success. The score stayed at 0-1 at half-time.
No sooner had the match resumed, Míchel’s side generated the first opportunity of the second half. Borja made the most of a defensive misjudgement by the rivals to come face to face with Rulli, but didn’t manage to score. However, the second Malaguista goal was only a few minutes away.
Recio launched the ball from a set piece to the heart of the Real area. Willian José deflected the ball with his hand, leading the referee to call another penalty in favour of MCF. Again, Borja was in charge of its execution, but this time the rival keeper guessed his intention and saved the shot. However, Chory was very attentive to the rejection and sent the ball to the back of the net (0-2, 57’).
In the final stretch of play, the two teams kept insisting, but the scoreboard didn’t move. At the final whistle, Málaga CF claimed three very important away points to give the team some breathing room.
