Málaga CF hosted Albacete Balompié on Sunday at 21:00 at La Rosaleda, on matchday 27 of LaLiga Hypermotion.
The team was backed by 25,800 Málaga supporters in the stands in a match that featured a very full pre-game program: Chinese New Year was celebrated, the players took to the pitch accompanied by the Plataforma Unidos contra el Cáncer Málaga, Chupe received the league’s Player of the Month award for January, and a minute’s silence was observed in memory of Josué Dorrio’s father.
Málaga CF came into the match in sixth place with 41 points, compared to the 34 held by the team from La Mancha, who began the round in 13th position.
Funes made four changes to the previous starting-11: Einar replaced Montero at left centre-back; Izan Merino came in for Juanpe at defensive midfield; Dani Lorenzo replaced the suspended Aaron Ochoa in the attacking midfield role; and Chupe started up front instead of Niño.
The start of the match was very lively, with the Blue and Whites pressing high and breaking down the wings, while the visitors opted for a deeper, more compact defensive block. As a result, Málaga’s chances didn’t take long to arrive.
The first dangerous approach to the visitors’ box came in the 10th minute, when Chupe was unable to head accurately from a cross delivered by David Larrubia from the right. Shortly afterwards, the number 10 again sent in a cross from the same flank and Dotor’s effort was gathered by Raúl Lizoain.
In the 27th minute, Chupe laid the ball off to the left for Joaquín, who drove forward and went one-on-one with the Albacete goalkeeper, but the keeper came out on top in the duel.
After the half-hour mark, two more Malaguista attempts came close to breaking the deadlock. First, a move by the number 9 ended with a scuffed left-footed shot that Lizoain gathered, and shortly afterwards he did the same with a powerful right-footer from Rafita as he surged forward down his channel.
Before the break, there were two more attacking bursts. Dotor shot wide after receiving the ball from David Larrubia, while Izan Merino had the clearest chance following a well-worked attacking move involving Dani Lorenzo, but the visiting goalkeeper once again kept it out.
After the restart, Funes’ men continued to threaten the opposition goal in search of the win, first with a Murillo header that went over the bar from a corner delivered by Dotor on the right.
It proved to be the prelude to the goal. In the 54th minute, Rafita broke in down the left and played a low ball to the penalty spot, where Joaquín arrived from deep to score with his left foot.
Just past the hour mark, Izan Merino fired over the bar from the edge of the area.
Albacete Balompié used up all their substitutions in the 72nd minute, and five minutes later the first Málaga change took place, with Lobete coming on to give goalscorer Joaquín a rest.
In minute 80, Alfonso Herrero stepped in to safely save a header from Obeng, a moment that didn’t dampen Málaga’s determination to search for a second goal, as shown by a subsequent shot from David Larrubia.
Funes made a double substitution in the 85th minute, bringing on Montero and Juanpe for Einar and Dani Lorenzo, and completed the changes in the 90th minute, when Dorrio and Jauregi came on for Dotor and Chupe.
Four minutes of added time were played, during which Jauregi had a shot inside the box and Alfonso Herrero had to scramble to keep out a rebound that was heading goalwards.
The match ended 1-0, and the three points stayed at La Rosaleda. Málaga CF now move up to 44 points and will face Granada CF at Nuevo Los Cármenes on Saturday 28th at 18:30.
