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Malaga CF had another difficult night at La Rosaleda, as they were held to a 2-2 draw with Cordoba despite being a man up for over 30 minutes. Costa del Sol, a team that has been plagued by late goals in recent weeks, was again defeated at the end, this time before 26,149 supporters in the Andalusian Derby.
Darko brasanac was brought in to replace Juanpe after he limped out of the match with an injury.
Malaga was slow to get going but then gradually found its rhythm. The match became more competitive before the first break.
The second half was filled with chaos and tragedy. Brasanac, himself, was forced to leave the field injured. He was replaced by Rafa who went on to steal all of the attention.
Red card
Cordoba were reduced to ten men in the 53rd minute when their captain, Carlos Albarrán, was sent off for a last-man foul on David Larrubia, seemingly handing control to Malaga.
Rafa, fresh off the bench, then put the home side ahead in the 59th minute with a spectacularly sharp finish inside the box, seizing a loose ball on the edge of the area and firing high on the half-volley past Iker Álvarez to make it 1-0, igniting the home crowd.
Four minutes later, Adri fuentes slipped in completely unnoticed and equalised the score with a clever lob at the near-post after some poor defending by the home team.
Malaga thought it had taken the lead again when Eneko Jauregi, a lucky rebounder, scored a poacher’s goal in 73rd minutes. However, VAR overturned the goal for offside following a long delay.
Rafa’s second goal came in the 89th, when he sat down a defender and tapped it into the corner of the net.
Usual failings
Malaga, however, failed to stand firm once again and disaster struck in the added time. A late Cordoba penalty caused chaos as Malaga retreated deeper into the box. After several failed clearances, defender Rubén Alves hooked the ball back into the area and Diego Bri, also not tracked by a defender, reacted quickest to stab home from close range in the 101st minute.
The draw places Malaga six points above the relegation zones and just outside the 90th-minute zone this season.
The boos were loud and the chants, “Pellicer! Resign!” were heard. At full time, chants of “Pellicer, resign!” echoed throughout La Rosaleda. The pressure was mounting on a team that seemed unable to win matches.
