Match Reports

For the second week running, Malaga play a team in the bottom four in a six-pointer. Ponferradina are in the Second Division for the first time in their history and not surprisingly have struggled all season to keep out of the relegation zone. They are a small club and only 6177 spectators turned up to watch a crucial match for both clubs.
Malaga, after their 4-0 rout of Lorca last week, unsurprisingly perhaps, name the same team and squad for this important match:

Malaga (4-4-2): Goitia; Jesus Gamez, Armando, Jesule and Valcarce; Molinero, Hidalgo, Silva and Calleja; Ivan Rosado and Counago.

Ponferradina kick off in bright sunshine, playing in blue and white stripes. Malaga are in their away strip of green and mauve vertical panels.
But it’s Malaga who again are off running first. In the first minute, Armando is pushed over and wins a free kick. Calleja takes and home keeper Rubio has to punch clear.
The next minute sees Hidalgo pick up a loose pass in midfield. He runs 25 yards into Ponferradina’s half before releasing Counago. The striker’s attempt is put over for a corner, which the home defence deal with easily.
In 4’ Malaga maintain pressure on the home goal when Calleja and Valcarce combine down the left wing. The cross into the box from the full back is blocked before it reaches the strikers.
In 7’ Calleja becomes the first booking for a sliding tackle with studs showing.
In 9’ Malaga win another corner after Valcarce intercepts a pass in the centre circle and runs unchallenged into the opposition’s penalty area. But Calleja’s effort from the flag is too long and is cleared.
In 11’ Ponferradina mount their first attack. Fran runs down the right wing and easily passes Valcarce to send in a low cross across the box. It is a poor cross really, not aiming for anybody in particular. The ball passes three statuesque Malaga defenders before reaching BAHA about ten yards out. Unchallenged, he has plenty of time to pirouette and crash a shot past the bemused Goitia for the opening goal.
Ponferradina 1 Malaga 0
It’s a goal against the run of play, but Malaga’s defence seemed to be mesmerised by the low cross and allowed Baha too much time to get a shot in.
In 16’ Silva finds Jesus Gamez wide right. The full back beats his man, gets to the by-line and sends in a cross which is put behind for another corner. Hidalgo takes the kick and finds Armando’s head, but the effort goes well over.
It’s 21’ before we see Ponferradina’s second attack in what has been a very one-sided game so far. This time the attack is down the left wing but the cross is easily picked out of the air by Goitia.
In Ponferradina’s third attack, in 25’, the home side are unlucky not to go further ahead. Calleja fouls Fran, who swings the resultant free kick into the box. Again Baha is the danger man and he stretches his leg out to just get his toe onto the cross. The shot comes off Goitia’s knees and out to safety.
In 27’ Malaga’s first shot on target. Hidalgo finds Jesus Gamez in plenty of space on the right wing. The full back cuts inside for a shot but shoots straight at Rubio.
The next minute Jesule concedes a free kick 40 yards out. The effort is an unlikely shot which goes straight into Goitia’s arms.
In 31’ Hidalgo, who is easily Malaga’s best player, tries a snap shot from 25 yards, but his effort is well wide.
In 33’ Molinero (who up till this point had been posted missing on the right wing) makes a run down the right and crosses into the box. The ball is cleared only to Hidalgo but he is closed down quickly before he can get a shot in.
In 35’ Silva becomes Malaga’s second booking for pulling Toni’s shirt. The free kick is cleared upfield as Malaga counter-attack with Counago and Hidalgo combining, but the midfielder’s shot is deflected off a defender’s leg for a corner. It’s Malaga’s fifth corner and again Armando heads over.
It’s been all Malaga this half, with most of the possession and most of the play around the home side’s penalty area. But in truth, Rubio has had very little to do in Ponferradina’s goal and the fact is that Malaga trail 1-0.
In 45’ Baha again goes close when he gets a free header around the penalty spot, but Goitia makes light work of the save.

Half-time Ponferradina 1 Malaga 0

At half-time, Muniz makes two substitutions: Chengue Morales on for the ineffective Molinero and Gascon on for Valcarce. The requires a reshuffle of the team into a more attacking 4-3-3 set up with Calleja dropping back to left back, vacated by Valcarce, with width to be provided by the two overlapping full backs, Jesus Gamez and Calleja. Up front, Counago goes left, Chengue down the middle and Ivan Rosado right.
As always in these circumstances, it takes a team some time to adjust to the change. So it was no surprise that Ponferradina took the early initiative at the beginning of the second half.
In 46’ there were strong claims for a penalty as Armando seemed to pull striker Risso down in the six yard box. To the front man’s credit he didn’t fall over but continued to squirm under Armando’s arms to get in his shot which Jesule put away for a corner. From the kick the ball is only cleared to Fran 30 yards out, but the Ponferradina play maker’s shot slides just wide of the far post.
It’s the 50th minute before Malaga get themselves sorted and mount their first attack of the half. Chengue runs down the right channel but his cross is too close to the keeper.
Malaga are throwing everything forward to try a get an early equaliser, but the toothless attack is easily dealt with by the home defenders and Ponferradina look more dangerous on the counter with their wingers causing Armando and Jesule bother with their crosses into the box. It’s only poor finishing from their forwards which is sparing Malaga’s blushes at this point.
In 52’ Fran goes close with a shot from 20 yards which goes over. From the resultant goal kick, Goitia finds Rosado, who after 53 minutes into the game, seems to have his first touch of the ball. He tries to lob the Rubio, who has to jump and touch the ball over for a corner. Hidalgo’s flag kick finds the giant 8’3” Uruguayan Chengue Morales around the penalty mark, but the striker’s header is cleared upfield.
There’s no doubt that Chengue’s physical presence is causing some concern to the home defenders, but even though the giant’s height means that he wins most everything in the air, he seems incapable of directing the ball either to a colleague or at goal.
In 56’ Muniz makes his final change, bringing on Serbia U-21 attacking midfielder Stosic for a very rare appearance, for the ineffective Rosado.
In 57’ Counago appears to be pulled down by what would have been “last man”. No foul and Counago reacts angrily.
In 62’ Counago appears to be pulled down in the box. No foul, no penalty and Counago reacts angrily.
In 63’ Stosic passes wide to Counago out on the right wing. His cross is chested down by Chengue and HIDALGO running in behind the giant striker, stretches out his toe to poke the ball past Rubio.
Ponferradina 1 Malaga 1
The goal is no more than Malaga deserve for all their possession and in a way justifies Muniz’s substitutions.
In 70’ Counago has his foot stood upon and goes down in the box claiming a penalty. The referee decides to book Counago instead.
Malaga have raised the tempo of the game to a faster pace and actually look a little more menacing.
In 71’ Hidalgo has a free kick which he sends high into the air for the ball to drop just under the crossbar. Rubio has to look lively to touch the ball over. Calleja takes the corner – again Chengue meets the ball with his head – again his header is off target.
In 73’ Calleja collects the ball at the half way line and runs half way into the opposition half before sending in what looked to be an aimless cross into the box. However, Counago and Chengue are there waiting for it to come to them and centre back BORNES gets in front of Counago to put the ball past Rubio and into the net for an own goal!

Ponferradina 1 Malaga 2

Malaga have their noses in front, which they just about deserve, despite the manner of the goal.
In 77’ Counago has a great chance to finish the game off when he receives a great pass from Calleja. The former Ipswich man shoots well wide.
Ponferradina are not out of this game though and force two corners in quick succession. At the second attempt Goitia punches clear and the ball is picked up by Stosic in midfield. The youngster flicks back his long hair and pushes the ball forward to Hidalgo who has made yet another run from defence. He wins a throw on the right and interplay between Hidalgo and Jesus Gamez ends with the full back swinging in a cross for Counago, who is alone in the box. The striker’s header is goal bound and Rubio has to make a save on the line.
But it’s the home side who making all the running now as they look for the equaliser.
In 83’, in a rerun of the opening goal, a poor low cross from the left seems to catch the Malaga defence static. It’s like slow motion as the ball passes three defenders, before RISSO, running in from behind, sticks out his boot to touch the ball past the bewildered Goitia for the equaliser.

Ponferradina 2 Malaga 2

It’s a disaster for Malaga to lose a goal like this so late in the game, but it’s a deserved equaliser for Ponferradina who have worked hard to come back after their own goal.
Malaga’s defence has lost its composure and Ponferradina sense that they could even snatch a win here and send crosses in from both left and right wings in an assault on the Malaga penalty area. The TV caption shows that Malaga have enjoyed 60% possession throughout the game, but it’s the home side who likely more likely to score again.
Malaga’s frustration is encapsulated in the booking of Chengue in the 90th minute for a dangerous petulant foul.

Full time Ponferradina 2 Malaga 2

The draw has us anxiously looking at the full time results elsewhere, to see whether Malaga drop into the dreaded “red zone” again. Alaves, next week’s opponents Elche, Castellon and Tenerife all gained points. The face-saver for Malaga though is Lorca’s home win against Real Madrid Castilla which means that the Blanco’s B side drop below Malaga into the fourth bottom slot.
Next week is another six-pointer against Elche in 18:00h kick off on Sunday 22 April 2007. Never fear, your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.




1º Valladolid 71
2º Almería 64
3º Murcia 63
4º Cádiz 48
5º Numancia 48
6º C. de Murcia 48
7º Xerez 47
8º Salamanca 47
9º Albacete 47
10º Hércules 45
11º Pol. Ejido 45
12º Tenerife 45
13º Elche 43
14º Sporting 42
15º Castellón 42
16º Las Palmas 41
17º Alavés 41
18º Málaga 40
19º RM Castilla 38
20º Ponferradina 35
21º Lorca 31
22º Vecindario 22

A look at the table shows that Malaga have a two point advantage over the fourth relegation spot held by Real Madrid Castilla. Remember that Muniz has set a target of 50 points (or ten points now from the last nine games) as in La Segunda history no team with more than 48 points has been relegated. This means (in theory at least) that even 4th placed club Cadiz could yet be relegated if they lost all their remaining games. It’s a very tight league and none of these teams wants to be relegated, although Lorca and Vecendario look doomed.