Malaga CF
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Having finished 2024 on a high, Malaga CF carried their recent unbeaten form into the new year thanks to a late equaliser by Chupete on Saturday afternoon. The goal from the reserve team's top scorer sealed a 1-1 draw against Deportivo La Coruña at La Rosaleda - the side's 13th of the season.
Though the hosts started on the front foot, the first chance of the game fell, within two minutes, to Dépor’s Yeremay Hernández. Cutting in off the left flank, he whipped the ball just past the far post.
The Galicians’ other wingman, David Mella, came close the scoring next. The 19-year-old left Alfonso Herrero flatfooted when he ran in off the right onto a ball over the top, only to see his powerful strike deflect agonisingly wide of the post.
Mella then spurned a golden opportunity to give his side the lead when he opened up his body and got his shot all wrong, having been played virtually through on goal.
Although they enjoyed plenty of possession in the defensive and middle third, Malaga struggled to create chances in the first half. Julen Lobete came close with a mishit cross from the right, which nearly flew in over the keeper’s head. Then, Luismi poked the ball wide from the penalty spot just before half time, albeit from an offside position.
Almost immediately after the break, Dépor keeper Helton Leite’s disastrous attempt to play out from the back was seized upon by the alert Antoñito giving Malaga a golden opportunity. The in-demand youngster fed Lobete who then lacked composure and smashed the ball over the bar while under no discernable pressure.
Ten minutes later, Kevin then had a sighter, but his long-range effort ended up deflecting just past the post, sending the keeper scrambling.
This got La Rosaleda rocking, and the home side rode the wave for ten minutes and came close to the breakthrough when Dani Sánchez failed the get the right contact on Antoñito’s cross from the right.
However, the visitors were able to refind their poise and control. In the 67th minute, moments after attempting a rainbow flick and attracting the ire of the Malaga fans, Yeremay was celebrating right in front of those same fans after executing a well-placed left-footed strike that nestled into the bottom right corner to give the visitors the lead.
Now leading the game, Deportivo looked to take the sting out of it, attempting to soak up pressure, waste time and strike on the counter-attack.
However, what they didn’t bank on was Malaga’s reserve-team sensation. Introduced in the 83rd minute for only his second first-team appearance, Chupete (17 goals in nine appearances for Atlético Malagueño this season) did what all good strikers do and gambled at the front post for the cross from the left, prodding the ball home from point-blank range.
Backed by the once-again raucous crowd, Malaga pushed for the late winner but lacked the cutting edge to make their late dominance pay.
That said, the draw extends their unbeaten run to five games ahead of their trip to Mirandés on Monday 20 January.
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