Early onslaught catches Malaga CF cold in crazy bottom-of-the-table clash

Two early goals and three first-half red cards defined a chaotic match in Albacete on Saturday evening

Daryl Finch

Malaga

Sunday, 16 March 2025, 08:20 | Updated 08:26h.

Malaga CF’s season took a fresh turn for the worse on Saturday evening as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat away to Albacete, despite playing with one more player for the majority of the match.

The 'blanquiazules', dressed in purple for the occasion, failed to respond after an abysmal first half that saw them concede two goals early on. The chaotic encounter was also marked by three first-half red cards—two for Albacete and one for Malaga—further exacerbating an already troubled performance from the visitors.

Slow, unfocused and vulnerable from the opening whistle, the game started disastrously for Malaga. Albacete capitalised on the visitors’ lack of concentration, with Christian Kofane putting them ahead early with a neat volley at the back post from a cross from the left.

Just minutes later, he had another opportunity, but his header was cleared off the line by Malaga’s Nelson Montes following a poor punch by Malaga keeper Alfonso Herrero.

However, Albacete’s dominance continued, and the second goal arrived shortly after, this time from a counter-attack led by Jon Morcillo, who dinked the ball over Herrero after carrying the ball from the halfway line.

A flurry of cards

Things then took a strange turn when Albacete were reduced to nine men after two consecutive red cards. The first came for Kofane after a VAR review on an elbow to the face of Álex Pastor, followed swiftly by Antonio Pacheco’s dismissal for an inappropriate gesture in response to the incident.

The referee’s attempts to regain control of the match also led to further confusion, with a third red card shown to Malaga’s Izan Merino for a raised foot in a seemingly harmless challenge.

With nine facing 10, the match descended into chaos, and Malaga failed to capitalise on the situation. Despite their numerical advantage, they remained impotent, with coach Sergio Pellicer making several substitutions, including the introduction of players like Yanis Rahmani and Antoñito, in an attempt to turn the game around.

However, the response was disjointed at best. The team struggled to create any meaningful chances and their lack of creativity left them vulnerable to further pressure from Albacete.

Despite a late flurry of chances from Antoñito and Roko Baturina, the result remained unchanged. This latest defeat leaves Malaga in a precarious position, with the team now looking over their shoulder as the relegation battle heats up.

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