Dream start goes to waste as Malaga CF forced to settle for a draw in Andalusian derby
The hosts went 2-0 up at La Rosaleda after 20 minutes thanks to a brace from Chupe, but Granada fought back to earn a share of the points
Malaga CF threw away a commanding early advantage in front of their biggest home crowd of the season (26,601) as Granada fought back to secure a 2-2 draw in Saturday’s Andalusian derby at La Rosaleda.
The hosts entered the fixture in buoyant mood, unbeaten in their first three games, while Granada arrived in dire straits after three straight defeats. The contrast appeared stark when the home side stormed into a two-goal lead inside the opening 20 minutes.
The breakthrough came in the 14th minute when Juanpe floated a precise ball into the area for Chupete, who beat Luca Zidane with a looping header.
Six minutes later, Joaquín linked up with David Larrubia, whose cushioned header across the face of goal set up Chupete to double the advantage from close range.
Granada looked disjointed and vulnerable, particularly to diagonal runs in behind, but managed to drag themselves back into contention. In the 30th minute, Mohamed Bouldini laid the ball off to Pau Casadesús, whose long-range strike took a deflection off Javi Montero before beating Alfonso Herrero.
The visitors nearly levelled before half time when Souleymane Faye struck the post, signalling the shift in momentum.
Visitors hit back
The second half began with Granada on the front foot, and the pressure told in the 50th minute when Pablo Sáenz’s deflected shot was parried by Herrero and Pedro Alemañ pounced on the rebound to make it 2-2. VAR checked for offside but confirmed the equaliser.
Malaga, rattled by the turnaround, struggled to regain control. Rafa and Izan Merino went close, while coach Sergio Pellicer sought to restore energy by introducing Carlos Dotor and Julen Lobete.
Dotor nearly made an instant impact with a flicked header, while Chupete remained a threat in search of his hat-trick.
Despite these efforts, Granada looked the stronger side in the closing stages, winning duels across the pitch and unsettling the hosts.
Missed opportunity
The draw left Malaga ruing a missed chance to go top of the Segunda table overnight. Pellicer had warned before the game that his side must not "show their claws" too soon by overestimating themselves, and his words proved prophetic as Malaga let a precious advantage slip.
Granada, meanwhile, earned their first point of the season, showing resilience after a disastrous start to the campaign.
