A Saturday night with a great atmosphere in the stands (24,101 fans) and a pre-match marked by an emotional minute of silence in memory of the victims of the DANA storm that devastated many municipalities in the Valencian Community.
On the pitch, Pellicer fielded a line-up with nine players who had played in the Primera Federación last season, four of them from Málaga, along with signings Luismi and Lobete, the latter making his first league start at La Rosaleda.
After the first minute of play, following a corner, Larrubia had a chance with a shot that was blocked by a number of defenders in the area. Cartagena's response came in the 4th minute with a counterattack by Vukcevic on the left, but the shot narrowly missed the target. Jandro's side was looking for quick counterattacks, while the Málaga defence was solid, effectively forcing several offside calls.
The first big chance for the Blue and Whites came in the 19th minute, with a penalty that Campos saved from Dioni after a play reviewed by the referee — a clear tug on Kevin — at the request of the VAR. Half an hour later, Lobete tried his luck with a low shot close to the post that the opposing goalkeeper managed to deflect. Shortly after, the VAR was involved again. This time, in Alfonso Herrero's area, a goal by Sipcic was disallowed (39') for being offside, followed by a sigh of relief from the fans.
And just before half-time, in injury time, Nelson Monte put Málaga CF ahead by heading in a cross from Julen Lobete (1-0, 45’+5). It was the second league goal for the Portuguese centre-back.
In the second half, Sergio Pellicer's players continued to execute their game plan flawlessly, maintaining a solid defence and dominating possession, mostly in the rival half. The wingers, Kevin and Lobete, were very active, providing width and creating opportunities for the team. Meanwhile, Cartagena defended in a compact block, waiting for any chance to break quickly on the counterattack.
In the 63rd minute, Julen Lobete and Manu Molina (who was booked) were replaced by Roko Baturina and Izan Merino. In the 69th minute, Dani Sánchez fired a crossed shot just wide of the left post. Two minutes later, there was another ‘match-saving’ save from Herrero, who won a one-on-one against Cartagena's Escriche.
Antoñito and Sangalli came on in the 78th minute, replacing Kevin and Dioni. The final substitution, in the 87th minute, saw Yanis come on for Larrubia. In that same minute, Izan and Sangalli had chances to score the second goal with two good opportunities. Antoñito, in the 91st minute, attempted a direct corner kick for a potential Olympic goal. The fans at Martiricos continued to support their team until the final whistle, and the 1-0 result reflected the superiority of a team that now sits temporarily in 9th place with 20 points in the standings. Vamos, Málaga!
