Last-gasp equaliser sparks fan fury as Malaga CF throw away victory yet again
A sizeable proportion of those inside La Rosaleda called for coach Sergio Pellicer to resign at full time, after his side squandered a man advantage and a late lead in a 2-2 draw against Cordoba
Malaga CF endured another painful night at La Rosaleda on Saturday, conceding in the 101st minute to draw 2-2 with Cordoba despite playing with a man advantage for more than half an hour. The Costa del Sol side, already haunted by recent late goals, were again undone at the death, this time in front of 26,149 fans in the Andalusian derby.
The game began with further misfortune for the hosts, as Juanpe limped off injured after just seven minutes and was replaced by Darko Brasanac.
Malaga struggled to find rhythm early on but gradually grew into the match, testing Cordoba’s resilience before the break in a scrappy, stop-start first half.
The second half brought chaos and heartbreak. Brasanac himself was forced off injured and replaced by academy midfielder Rafa, who would go on to steal the spotlight.
Red card
Cordoba were reduced to ten men in the 53rd minute when their captain, Carlos Albarrán, was sent off for a last-man foul on David Larrubia, seemingly handing control to Malaga.
Rafa, fresh off the bench, then put the home side ahead in the 59th minute with a spectacularly sharp finish inside the box, seizing a loose ball on the edge of the area and firing high on the half-volley past Iker Álvarez to make it 1-0, igniting the home crowd.
However, just four minutes later, Adri Fuentes ghosted into space completely unmarked and equalised with a clever backheel at the near post after some poor defending from the home side.
Malaga then thought they had regained the lead when Eneko Jauregi scored a poacher's goal in the 73rd minute following a lucky ricochet, but VAR ruled it out for offside after a lengthy delay.
Still, Pellicer’s side pushed forward and were rewarded in the 89th minute when Rafa scored again, this time sitting a defender on the ground before slotting calmly into the bottom corner for 2-1.
Usual failings
However, once more, Malaga failed to hold firm and disaster struck deep into added time. Retreating ever deeper, a late Cordoba free-kick caused chaos in the box. After several failed clearances, defender Rubén Alves hooked the ball back into the area and Diego Bri, also not tracked by a defender, reacted quickest to stab home from close range in the 101st minute.
The draw leaves Malaga just above the relegation zone and marks six points dropped after the 90th minute this season.
As boos rang out and chants of "Pellicer, resign!" echoed around La Rosaleda at full time, the pressure mounted on a team and coach seemingly unable to close out matches.
