Underdogs Estepona deliver massive shock and dump Malaga CF out of Copa del Rey

In one of the biggest shocks of the Copa del Rey first round, Malaga CF were dumped out of the cup by neighbours CD Estepona in a gripping match on Thursday night.

The tie, played in La Línea due to renovations at the hosts' stadium, saw a rarely-seen provincial derby, pairing Malaga, from the second tier, with Estepona, who compete in Segunda RFEF, Spain's fourth tier.

Despite leading in the first half, a much-changed Malaga side, who finished with ten men, ultimately succumbed to a spirited Estepona side, who capitalised on the visitors’ lapses and delivered a decisive blow to win 3-2 after extra time.

The first half favoured the visitors and Roko Baturina, hardly used by coach Sergio Pellicer so far this season, headed them into the lead in the 29th minute. Izan Merino then could have extended Malaga's advantage but his strike hit the post.

Estepona, however, remained resilient, repeatedly pushing forward and ultimately equalising after some skilful play by Rubén Mesa midway through the second half.

The deadlock ultimately forced the game into extra time, where Estepona came into their own, despite Malaga bringing on many of their usual starting players.

This culminated in a powerful strike from Jorge García that left Malaga’s Carlos López completely helpless.

Estepona then gained a further advantage when an aggressive altercation resulted in Malaga’s Sergio Castel receiving a red card. Jacques Dago then capitalised, scoring Estepona's third.

Despite a late response from David Larrubia, the final whistle confirmed Estepona’s unlikely victory.