Malaga 5 Barcelona 1
Well, what a game! We expected a tough match from Barcelona, as we know Malaga are quite strong at the back but are weak up front, relying on Salva (ex Bolton Wanderers!) and our Angolan import, Edgar, to score our goals for us. (Edgar has so far failed to score this season and 3 of Salva's goals so far have been from the penalty spot.) Last Saturday, the televised match on Spanish TV was Atletico Madrid vs Malaga and it was clear that Our Boys can match the best teams except for putting the ball in the net and before tonight's game our goal difference was -1.
One change was made in the team to meet Klivert, Saviloli, Overmars, Luis Enrique and Co, with Manu dropping to the bench in favour of nippy winger Insui. We were a bit worried too about Malaga's usual tentative and nervous starting at the beginning of each half and feared that Barcelona might dominate things early and take control. What a surprise then for all of us. Insui played inside and Edgar went out onto the right wing and left full back Valcarce was up front wide on the left wing with playmaker Duda playing a sort of wing back role. Within the first 10 minutes Malaga were ahead with Edgar causing the damage down the right wing delivering a cross which defeated the Barcelona defence and ended up with Salva drilling the ball home. Salva ended up scoring a hat-trick, all in open play, the second when he took a ball from Valcarce on the left and drove it home and the third by beating the goalie one on one from a difficult angle. After his third, he was promptly substituted by Diego Alonso, who was on the park two minutes before he too scored an excellent goal to make it 4-0.
Barcelona had only managed one real shot on target so far and that was from a free kick on the edge of the box which our Malaga-born goalkeeper Cataluyd dived across the goalmouth and saved magnificently, one-handed around the post. Unfortunately our normally reliable captain Fernando Sanz lost a bit of concentration amid all the euphoria and under no real pressure turned the ball past his own keeper in an ill-timed pass back to put respectability on the scoreline that Barca did not deserve. Malaga's tactic of closing down every player, especially the back four, led to the final goal, scored by another substitute, Canibal, who rarely gets a game for Malaga, despite being named as sub every week, but finished another sparkling move with a run down the right wing and sending a screamer between the hapless Barca goalie and the near post for a final score of 5-1. You can only imagine the bedlam inside the capacity filled stadium when the final whistle was blown. Barca looked shell-shocked and will have to do much better at the weekend when they play Real Madrid or they will gave another drubbing.
Malaga have risen to sixth position after tonight's games and some of us are already dreaming of a UEFA Cup spot. Another tough match away next weekend at Deportivo La Coruna awaits Our Boys. As for me I will just have to wait the ten days until the next home match against Real Mallorca. Can't wait!
Your Malaga CF Correspondent
PS- Wow. In my haste to get the report on last night's game off to you, I did omit to inform you adequately about the strength of the Barcelona squad. As well as Puyol, Luis Enrique, Saviola, Kluivert and Overmars, Frank Rijkaard also had recent signings Rustu (Fenerbahce), Luis Garcia (Atletico Madrid), Mario (Valladolid), Quaresma (Sporting Lisbon), Marquez (Monaco) , Van Bronkhorst (Arsenal) and Ronaldinho (PSG) either in the team or on the bench, apart from the latter who is out with an injury just now. Some team it was in prospect, but not on the night when the mighty minnows of Malaga undid them with superior teamwork and tactics.