The game had the look of a first division clash, and didn’t disappoint, as Las Palmas overcame leaders Málaga to the sound of home fans singing “pío, pío!”. Two teams looking for promotion squared up to each other today. Las Palmas and Málaga, regardless of the result, understand there is nothing decided just yet. The league is long, but victory by the yellows increases their self-confidence and gives renewed hope to their fans.
Both Manolo Jiménez and Muñiz paid each other respect, as they were to two strongest squads in the league. The first setback for the yellows occurred before kickoff, as Christian Rivera injured himself during warm-up. Javi Castellano took his place.
Málaga CF came out very solidly from the start, and had two clear chances for Ontiveros that Raúl Fernández was equal to. The Andalusian side showed great practicality with their football, with an ordered defence that showed well defined playing concepts, while they were also very quick on the break.
Las Palmas began to string their football together from the 20th minute, and began to threaten the away side’s goal. A header by Danny Blum came close to putting his side ahead. These were followed by shots from outside the area by Javi Castellano and Timor, and then a push on Tana inside the box added spice to proceedings. Before the break, De la Bella also got injured, a second setback for Manolo Jiménez. A draw was the fairest result at half time, as the teams had enjoyed an equal share of possession during this period.
In the second half, the game was just as even. Defences were able to contain any forward moves by the opposition. A lot of physical effort was going into the match, and both Las Palmas and Málaga were keen not to make any mistakes, until Rafa Mir popped up in the 74th minute to put the home side ahead. The game started afresh as Málaga began to push forward in search of an equalizer. A great afternoon’s work by home goalkeeper Raúl Fernández was crucial for the yellows to gain victory against the league leaders, and leave them still unbeaten on 14 points.
