Chronicle of Malaga FC – CD Castellon de Primera RFEF
59
Well it is what it is. It’s not for nothing that Castellon is 13 points ahead of Malaga. He is better and he showed it in La Rosaleda. There’s no point in competing head-to-head with the leader if you can’t get the game on track, even though you were many minutes better in the first half. As soon as Dick Schrader’s men smelled the blood, they went after her and did not forgive her. They just needed to get it right in the second game from a corner to take the lead early in the second half. and from there dominate the match and finish it with almost no losses against a blue and white team that seems more and more powerless every day.
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First half played
Malaga already showed in the first 45 minutes that they are capable of competing with the best teams in their category.He had already done this in the first match in Castalia, and now in the second round he was again able to make the situation very difficult for Dick Schrader’s team. But this was not enough even to earn a point. Pellicer changed the system for the occasion, playing with three central defenders – Moussa, Einar Galilea and Juande – and the gamble worked from the start. The blue and white team closed the game in Castellon and he also managed to create plenty of danger out wide with Gabilondo and Dani Sanchez every time he stole the ball and turned it in attack.
The visitors arrived first. 20 seconds into the game, Raul Sanchez had already given a warning from the front. And soon after that, the referee canceled the goal against Castellon due to De Miguel being clearly offside. The clash began at a frantic pace, with danger in both areas. Pellicer’s team made an “oops” in the stands with side crosses that almost missed Roberto and Dioni. A quarter of an hour into the first act, Malaga showed its best results. This time Roberto managed to hit Dani Sanchez’s cross, but his toe went wide.
After the middle of the first half, there was new panic in Alfonso Herrero’s zone. Dani Lorenzo’s stupid defeat saw Castellon’s chance again disallowed due to De Miguel’s mispositioning. The meeting threatened to break up at any moment. The only thing missing was success in the final meters. Pellicer’s team needed one last good pass to complete the rout of Dick Schrader’s team.
Before the break the match became tense. De Miguel received a yellow card for headbutting Manu Molina from behind in a fight. The referee felt that sending him to the dugout was not enough. And there was more bad news in the form of Malaga’s injury. Sangalli was forced to leave the game in the 36th minute. and Izan Merino took his place. When everything was decided, it was time to rest.
Castellon efficiency
Malaga tried to continue the same plan after the break. Roberto and Galilea had the first dangerous moments of the second, but whoever struck first proved to be the leader. In the second game after a corner Salva Ruiz struck and Manu Sanchez, who had just entered the game, headed the ball into the goal.
Pellicer couldn’t wait too long to try to change the game’s script. He made a very attacking double change, bringing on Juande and Moussa Larrubia and Kevin. He started playing with only two centre-backs, leaving Izan Merino behind. Fans’ dissatisfaction with the scythe intensified after several controversial decisions followed in a row. “Malaga” became more and more confused and scattered over time. Fans also tuned out due to their team’s inability to surround the opponent’s goal.
Blue-white impotence
Castellon now played the game the way he wanted. Ahead on the scoreboard and with spaces for sentences. And he could have done it, but Castanir gave Malaga an extra life by conceding a goal at will. He scored horribly into an empty net and passed the ball into the hands of Alfonso Herrero. Pellicer’s side were still alive, but the feeling was that they could have played for another four hours without being able to equalise. Anxiety and fatigue took their toll, while La Rosaleda were empty, there were 7 minutes of stoppage time remaining and only 0–1 on the scoreboard. Malaga didn’t even have a shot on goal, and the team’s team suffered almost no damage. Dick Schroeder to maintain the result. Villahermosa saw his second yellow card and left the team with 10, but there was no time for anything else. The struggle for direct promotion came to naught.