The match kicked off with Eibar dominating ball possession in midfield, and a Málaga waiting to steal possession with a quick exit, with Chory and Juanpi on the wings; the return of Sandro upfront with Charles, and two notable new features: Juankar and Kuzmanovic in the starting line-up.
After the first 15 minutes of play, the match didn’t alter too much. Koné and Llorente proved solid in the centre of the pitch, preventing dangerous approaches from the rival. Juanpi’s quality on the field of play gave light to the Blue and Whites’ attack, each time with increased presence in Riesgo’s area.
Half an hour into the game, Juankar was forced to abandon play due to injury, and Miguel Torres took his place. In the final minutes of the first half came the goals. First from the visitors, following an impressive cross from Asian-born Inui on the left who set up the ball for Nano to put away in Kameni’s area (0-1, 42’). Straight after, Sandro levelled from the left of the goal, and with a fantastic spin, launched a powerful shot to the back of the net with his left foot (1-1, 44’).
Málaga kicked off the second half with even more spark, on the hunt for another goal to take the lead. The Blue and Whites were up against a compact rival, poisonous upfront, particularly from the boots of Jota Peleteiro. Camacho and Kuzmanovic were very astute in their passes and changes in direction, widening out in midfield to gain more control of the match.
The crowd was spectacular, really getting behind the team. In minute 62, goal-scorer, Sandro tried his luck with a low shot that was impeded by Riesgo. Not long after (67’), his teammate on the attack, Charles made way for En-Nesyri, making his debut with the first team at La Rosaleda. And what a way to do it. The Moroccan sent out a warning in minute 73, with a fierce run on the left, a sign of what was about to come. He cut in on the right, and with a brilliant left-footer, curled the ball into the net. The entire stadium was on its feet. A fantastic goal (2-1, 76’).
Juande brought on Pablo in substitution of an applauded Kuzmanovic (83’), and only the class of Pedro León on the right – he joined play in the second half – disturbed Kameni’s goal. However, the scoreboard didn’t change and the Blue and Whites came from a goal down to secure their first win of 2016/17, earning five points from as many games.
