Málaga CF, who put on a great show today, suffered an away defeat against Real Madrid. A double from Sergio Ramos, the second goal being offside, and a goal from Juanpi, sealed the final result.
The Malaguista side didn’t crack in the face of adversity, nor on the big stage. Marcelo Romero’s men put on an impressive show, despite the defeat, against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Málaga were well positioned on the field of play from start to finish. The defenders repelled approaches from the local side with solvency, and the attackers created some dangerous advances to the rival area. Chory sent a strong shot to the post in minute 16, and Camacho grazed the wood with a header following a corner kick in minute 30.
However, it was Sergio Ramos who put the Whites in front in response to a corner in the 35th minute of play (1-0). With a minimal disadvantage on the scoreboard, Málaga attempted to drive the rival away from the area, but it was again Ramos, and again from a set piece, who increased Real Madrid’s lead in minute 43 (2-0). Playback revealed the defender was in an offside position, but the goal still stood. At half-time, the score was 2-0.
The Blue and Whites didn’t let the situation bring them down, and went out with the same mentality in the second half. The locals’ advantage didn’t blur the Malaguista approach, as they tried to gain possession, and their arrivals to the area became more frequent in the second half. In minute 63 Juanpi halved the deficit with elegant definition. The number ‘10’ made the most of a clearance from the local keeper, who spurned a hard shot at the target from Juankar, to fire the ball into the back of the net (2-1).
Following the goal, the visitors stepped up the attack, with Chory in a one-on-one in an attempt to score the equaliser a minute later. Keylor Navas managed to deflect the ball to a corner.
In the subsequent stages of play, Málaga continued to show determination in their pursuit of a goal, and both sides alternated approaches, but the scoreboard remained the same.
Marcelo Romero’s men fought until the end in the duel against the LaLiga Santander leaders, but didn’t reap the rewards.