Match Reports

After a very early start in the morning of Sunday 14 January 2007, we drove for three and half hours and arrived at the Estadio Ramon de Carranza in Cadiz at around 10am to buy tickets for the match. We were lucky enough to be able to buy some of the last tickets available in a sell-out 20,000 capacity crowd for the 12 noon kick-off between these Andalucian derby rivals.
The last time the two sides met was the last game of last season when both teams were on the point of relegation from the First Division and the local side won convincingly 5-0. So Malaga were in search of some revenge as well as another three points with which they hoped to see themselves rise up the table.
With Schurrer out injured for three weeks, there was a place for Armando in defence. Counago was back available from injury and teenage sensation, Popo, was again named on the bench.
Malaga (4-1-4-1): Arnau; Jesus Gamez, Armando, Jesule and Valcarce (c); Silva; Edgar, Hidalgo, Jonaton Valle and Calleja; Salva.
In bright sunshine Malaga kicked off in a game which was being transmitted live across Spain on their subscription channel, Canal+.
In truth the first half was dominated by Cadiz, who possess two quick strikers and time and again Jesule had to be quicker to avert disaster. Armando in Cadiz's goal did not have a shot to save in the entire first half, but Malaga's defence stood firm against the Cadiz pressure, with their forwards forced to fire in shots from long range. The main incident of an otherwise unnoteworthy half was the injury sustained by Calleja, which forced manager Muniz to make his first substitution after only half an hour when Sandro replaced the former Villarreal winger.
Half-time 0-0
In the second half, Malaga had more of the ball and began to grow in confidence, with some neat football and intricate passing moves. However, it wasn't until the introduction of wunderkid, Popo, after an hour for Silva, that Malaga seemed to change gear. Hidalgo moved into the "pivot" position in front of the back four, Jonaton Valle went wide left with Edgar on the right. Sandro took up the central playmaker role and the diminutive Popo slipped in behind Salva to provide the striker with some support in a 4-1-3-1-1 formation. But it is the pace and cheek of the eighteen years old attacking midfielder which creates something out of nothing for Malaga and his introduction unsettled the Cadiz defence. The home team seemed to panic every time Popo was given the ball and resorted to kicking the ball high into the stand in desperate clearances or to bringing the young man down illegally when he started to make a run at goal.
The game opened up and Malaga made their third and final change when Counago replaced Edgar. This new line-up really went at Cadiz and soon the home goalkeeper was having to perform some heroics to keep the visitors out.
And so, as the game entered stoppage time with the fourth official showing three extra minutes, we were pleased with our team's performance and agreeing that a draw was probably the correct result and a good morale booster for Malaga, gaining an away point in a cauldron of home support for Cadiz.
Then, the worst scenario happened. Arnau, who has been unconvincing in Malaga's goal for the past two seasons, who cannot kick the ball to a team-mate, who always looks uncomfortable with cross balls, who does not command his area and who, when Cesar Navas was in the team, seemed to give away a goal a game, managed to let a weak shot from within a crowded box from a last minute corner, slip past him for Cadiz to win the match.
He tamely stuck a hand down when he had the vision and time to get down and get his body behind and smother the shot, but no, in true Arnau fashion, he just stuck a hand down and deflected the ball slightly as it travelled past him into the net. No wonder he hung his head in his hands in shame when the goal was awarded.
Surely Muniz cannot continue to keep playing him as he is definitely letting his side down with these performances. Every other manager who has come to Malaga has started with the experienced Arnau in goal, but then went for a change eventually. It is time that Gotia gets his chance or I fear the dream of promotion, which is still there in a league where every team is capable of beating the their opponent (with perhaps the exception of Vecendario), will disappear.
Full-time Cadiz 1 Malaga 0

In the next two weeks Malaga have two home games in a row. In two weeks time, they play Hercules (from Alicante) in the first game (Jornada 22) of the second half of the 42 game season. But first they play Castellon (from the seaside resort near Valencia). Both teams sit the centre of the table and two wins could be seen as six-pointers and see Malaga make a considerable jump up the table, where they currently hold 13th position.
In midweek, Malaga travel to Zaragoza to complete the Copa del Rey tie, but being 0-3 down from last week's first leg, the less said the more the better.
So Castellon on Sunday 21 January 2007 then. Never fear, your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.