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Callejón placing the ball before his freekick made it 1-1. Marbella FC
Marbella FC's late capitulation proves costly as they move closer to the drop zone
Football

Marbella FC's late capitulation proves costly as they move closer to the drop zone

A chaotic encounter in Mérida saw the Costa side concede early, battle back twice, then unravel with two late red cards

Juan Ramón Padilla

Marbella

Sunday, 19 January 2025, 19:44

Marbella endured a dramatic 4-2 defeat away to Mérida on Sunday, with a poor defensive display and two red cards proving their undoing. The result leaves them level on 24 points with Sanluqueño, narrowly outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

The match began disastrously for the visitors as Javi Eslava opened the scoring for Mérida in the eighth minute. A low cross from the right was fumbled by Marbella goalkeeper Dani Martín, and Eslava capitalised on the rebound.

Despite the early setback, Marbella grew into the game and José Callejón brought them level just before half-time. The forward curled in a superb free-kick, his seventh goal of the season, sending his side into the break with renewed optimism.

However, the second half began in familiar fashion, with Marbella conceding again. Mérida were awarded a controversial penalty, and although Dani Martín saved the initial effort, Liberto scored on the rebound to restore the hosts' lead.

Refusing to give up, Marbella equalised once more in the 68th minute. Callejón turned provider, delivering a pinpoint cross that Dorian headed home.

Unravelling

However, the final stages of the match proved disastrous for the Costa del Sol side. First, defender Bernardo received a second yellow card in the 72nd minute, leaving the visitors down to ten men.

Moments later, Eslava struck again, scoring his second goal to make it 3-2.

Matters worsened when Marcos Olguín was shown a straight red card for an alleged off-the-ball incident, reducing Marbella to nine players.

With the visitors in disarray, Eslava completed his hat-trick in stoppage time, condemning Marbella to another defeat and leaving coach Fran Beltrán with significant defensive issues to resolve.

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surinenglish Marbella FC's late capitulation proves costly as they move closer to the drop zone