Copa curse strikes again as Malaga CF are dumped out by lower-league opposition once more
A 2-1 defeat to third-tier Talavera on Wednesday night extends the club's long history of shock Copa del Rey exits
Malaga CF's encouraging start under Juan Francisco Funes came crashing down on Wednesday night as the new coach's side were dumped out of the Copa del Rey at the hands of lower-league opposition once more.
As has often been the case in recent years, the squad travelled to Talavera de la Reina with heavy rotation and eight academy players in the starting line-up.
The visitors controlled the first half and created the clearest chances, with efforts from Chupete and Haitam forcing goalkeeper Jaime González into action.
Talavera, who are battling relegation in Primera RFEF and recently changed coaches themselves, threatened early through Nahuel Arroyo but increasingly sat deep as the interval approached.
Disaster strikes
The match changed after the break. In the 56th minute, Valen Gómez broke down the right, and a poor, headed clearance from Malaga's Javi Montero fell to his namesake Sergio, who drove in a low volley to make it 1-0.
The home side surged forward, and the same man scored again in the 64th minute, finishing at the second attempt from close range in a crowded box.
Malaga struggled to respond and failed to trouble the net until the 88th minute, when Adrián Niño turned in a loose ball at the far post to make it 2-1. However, the late pressure was not enough.
More than 4,000 fans at El Prado saw Talavera eliminate Malaga and reignite memories of the likes of Escobedo, Mirandés, Numancia, Majadahonda, Lorca, Ciudad de Murcia, Gimnàstic and Ceuta all sending the Costa del Sol side packing in the recent past.
The focus for Funes’ side now shifts back to the league.
