Kevin header gifts Malaga CF yet another win

Malaga CF made it five wins on the bounce with a 1-0 win over San Fernando at La Rosaleda on Sunday evening.

As the final fixture of the weekend, Sergio Pellicer’s side went into the game knowing that a win would take them into second place in the Primera RFEF table.

However, that appeared a distant prospect during the first half-hour. It was a scrappy and attritional affair, with both teams struggling to make any headway.

The first clear chance came after 16 minutes when Luca Sangalli robbed the ball on the edge of the box, but Roberto lacked composure and ended up firing the ball into the stand behind the goal.

For San Fernando, besides a powerful low shot from range from Dani Aquino that was held expertly by Alfonso Herrero, the visitors from Cadiz lacked the skill and penetration in attack.

Eventually, Malaga found the breakthrough goal ten minutes before the break. Víctor García showed great composure on the left-hand side to drop a shoulder and escape his man, before firing a low shot which Diego Fuoli could only parry into the path of the onrushing Kevin, who looped his header into the back of the net.

Kevin could have doubled his side’s lead moments later but his whipped freekick from the left came back out off the post.

A slip from Víctor García just after the restart almost gave San Fernando an immediate route back into the contest as Aquino went through on goal, only to be snuffed out by a combination of Einar Galilea and Herrero.

However, the hosts soon got back on the front foot and substitute Daniel Sánchez, on for the injured Víctor García, forced a good save from Fuoli, high at his near post.

Moments later, the same man then saw an effort cleared off the line after Jokin Gabilondo’s cross on the stretch somehow made it all the way through to the back post.

The pressure continued to intensify and, on a swift counter-attack, David Larrubia played in Roberto with a delicate through ball, only to be thwarted by the keeper’s outstretched leg.

Having passed up so many opportunities, nerves could increasingly be felt around La Rosaleda, especially after San Fernando’s Francesc Fullana placed his header into the side netting with the score still just 1-0.

Another missed chance from Roberto didn’t help as the visitors increasingly felt they had nothing to lose.

But with the clock ticking down, Malaga’s players showed their experience to eat up the minutes and were ultimately able to see out the rest of the game without any serious scares.

Up next for the Blue and Whites is a trip to Huelva next Sunday (kick-off 8pm) to take on Recreativo.