Malaga CF have to wait another week for salvation after losing to Eldense (1-0)

With one fewer player from the seventh minute on, the blue and whites were prevented from achieving their goal of avoiding relegation

Antonio Góngora

Monday, 12 May 2025, 11:54

Malaga will have to wait - they are not saved yet. Their chances of removing all chances of relegation in Elda were high, but they lost and prolonged the uncertainty of their position in the second division.

The match was difficult from very early on, as Galilea was sent off after a foul on Sekou. From that moment on, the blue and whites' mission (this time playing in yellow) became almost impossible.

Malaga were being dominated by their opponents and had to wait until the end of the game to try to equalise, something that did not come despite their dangerous approaches.

Malaga were outnumbered, which allowed Eldense to dominate the game, with Juanto Ortuño scoring amid more chances. Now, the difference between the two teams has been reduced to six points with nine points left to play for.

Malaga have to win against Sporting on Saturday if they want to guarantee salvation at La Rosaleda, as Eldense don't play until the following day. In any case, this single objective of the season is still very close.

Pellicer applied the most basic rule of football by sticking with the team that had been working for him in recent matches. He also kept the system of three central midfielders in search of salvation, for which he needed, at least, a draw in Elda. And the atmosphere at the start was excellent, with energy, pressure and depth. In fact, Lobete could have put his team ahead early on, but was unfortunate with his shot.

The worst for the visitors, however, came a few seconds later: on a counter-attack, Galilea fouled former Malaguista Sekou. It was a clear defensive error - he was the last defender and was heading towards Herrero's goal. The referee was clear and sent off the centre back with a straight red card, in the seventh minute. It was the worst news for Pellicer's men. Suffering was guaranteed from that moment on.

The team's plans were ruined and it was necessary to reorganise in order to balance forces. Izan Merino was dropped into defence, maintaining a similar formula, sacrificing a little in midfield. However, Eldense gradually began to pour forward into Malaga's box, with chances from Collado and another from Sekou. Pellicer brought in a change, with Álex Pastor in place of Antoñito to reinforce defence.

These were the most difficult moments for Malaga. Sekou was left alone in front of Herrero and sent the ball wide, on another occasion. From then on, the blue and whites improved defensively, switching to a strong four-man defence. Fatigue was the main weakness for the visitors, who managed to reach half-time with the score level and with a couple of attacking threats. It was still all up in the air, despite being a man down.

Everything remained the same after the break. Sekou, who scored offside, was the target of racist comments and the game was stopped for a few minutes. The worst came later, though, when Eldense took the lead through Juanto Ortuño after a pass from the other Ortuño. The dreaded goal arrived, the home side were taking advantage of their strength in numbers.

Hard blow

It was a hard blow for Pellicer's team, who now had to look for an equalising goal to level the score. And with ten men, the mission was very complicated. The coach wanted to freshen up his team with three changes, bringing on Puga, Manu Molina and Dioni. Malaga's attacking attempts were few and far between; the possibility of guaranteeing continuity in the second division was beginning to fade away.

Malaga continued to press and take risks in the final minutes. But their resources were minimal and their hopes were getting further and further away. The visitors appealed for a penalty. Eldense also had a chance to score a second on a counter-attack, but Álex Pastor denied them any chance of improving the score. And so the game ended, with Malaga's survival still pending until at least their next game: at home to Sporting.

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