Sunday March 3, 2013 Day 26 Finished Estadio La Rosaleda
Málaga CF 0 - 0 Atlético Madrid
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Liga - Malaga hold Atletico to goalless draw
There were no goals to enjoy despite an array of attacking talent on display for Malaga and Atletico Madrid in La Liga. More
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Live Commentary
Time:90'- Málaga CF
- Atlético Madrid
- A fair result as the game ends in a draw. A shame we didn't get any goals with so much talent on display and that final score is a repeat of the scoreline from the same fixture last season.- 90+2' Juanfran puts in a great cross with that gorgeous right foot of his and Atletico get a corner when Malaga should have a free kick as Falcao goes through Weligton.
- 89' Another overhit Gamez cross from the right goes straight to Courtois. The referee's assistant signals three minutes of added time will be played.
- 88' It looks like this will end in a goalless draw with both sides slowing down over the final 25 minutes or so.
- 87' We've hardly seen Frenchman Toulalan all night and when he does get our attention it's for that dangerous late challenge on Raul Garcia.
85' Malaga's holding midfielder Jeremy Toulalan gets a yellow card for a late tackle.- 84' Malaga waste the chance to attack when they finally do get forward. Jesus Gamez gets free on the right and crosses too deep for any of his teammates in the box.
- 83' It's all Atletico... Malaga can't get out of their own half at the moment.
- 81' Koke is booked for protesting after the referee gives a foul for a push by Miranda on Santa Cruz.
- 80' A good counter attack from Atletico comes to nothing after a great ball from Arda Turan to Filipe Luis and a header into box which Falcao fails to read again.
- 79' A typically jinking run down the right from Juanfran and a whipped cross into the Malaga box, which Caballero reads better than Falcao and the threat is averted for the home side.
78' Antunes takes the free kick and it is a great delivery which picks out Weligton in a crowded box. The Brazilian defender heads just wide!- 77' Quite a few players are starting to look tired and the mistakes are creeping in on each side. Miranda fouls Antunes and Malaga have a free kick.
- 75' Then Santa Cruz gives away the ball again and is penalised for a foul on Juanfran.
- 74' Almost a comedy of errors, with Santa Cruz and Godin trying to give the ball to each other. Eventually Godin's full back Filipe Luis comes in and tidies up.
72' Isco is the man to come off. No surprise there, he was having a very quiet game. He looked phyiscally fine though, sprinting off to allow Seba Fernandez to come on.- 71' Pellegrini is making his final change of the evening, who is coming off?
- 70' What's wrong with Isco tonight? He's having his worst game for a while, maybe he's playing with an injury we don't know about.
- 69' Mario Suarez fouls Santa Cruz and Malaga flood forward for the free kick. But Isco is wasteful again and floats a lame cross into Courtois' hands.
- 68' Will Atletico's busier recent schedule catch up with them in the final 20 minutes? They of course played Sevilla in midweek and Malaga had a week off...
- 67' Raul Garcia is on for Atletico as 'Cebolla' (Onion) Rodriguez goes off.
- 66' Joaquin goes off and Manuel Iturra comes on for the home side.
- 65' There is not a great deal happening as the teams battle it out in midfield and both managers are about to make more changes.
- 64' A change for Malaga too. Demichelis goes off (looking for Costa on the touchline perhaps?!) and Lugano comes on.
- 63' After a typically physical display and having received that yellow card for diving Costa's shift is over. Adrian replaces him.
- 62' Falcao is of course Atletico’s main man though and he is looking to build on his tally of five goals in the last six games in all competitions.
- 60' Falcao gives the ball away in space and under no pressure to the frustration of his teammates.
- 59' A Joaquin shot deflects off Godin and it is a corner for the home side. That corner is taken by Joaquin on the right and hugely overhit. The visitors push out of defence.
- 58' Koke takes the corner with his right foot, driving the ball to the near post where Gamez heads clear. In the next piece of play Costa dives under a challenge from Demichelis and is booked for simulation.
- 57' A superb counter attack by Falcao and Costa flying down the right together and Atletico win a corner.
- 56' Atletico’s away form has been their main weakness in La Liga this year. They started well enough, with three wins in their opening four away matches, but they have only won once in their last six away games.
- 54' Yet another free kick conceded by Costa for a foul on Demichelis! That's five fouls by the Brazilian and no yellow card yet for the Atletico man.
- 53' Stat: Atletico have only failed to score in 3 of their 25 La Liga fixtures this season.
- 51' Joaquin gets a deserved free kick as he is pulled down in the air by Godin. Malaga are unable to create anything from the resulting cross into the box by Isco.
- 50' Koke gets into space on the edge of the Malaga box and drives a low shot across Caballero's goal, wide of the target.
- 49' Atletico are keeping the ball and controlling the early minutes of this second half at the La Rosaleda.
- 48' According to his agent, Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini is a wanted man, with Chelsea apparently interested in his services. He's done a great job as Malaga coach.
- 47' Atletico have come out for the second half all fired up like they did in the first, can they keep this pace up all game?
46' The second half starts and we have no changes from either coach to report.- 45' Isco raids down the right on the counter attack and supplies Roque Santa Cruz who holds the ball up well for Joaquin, though he just can't get the required pace on his eventual shot. 0-0 at the break.
- 44' Rodriguez dives in the middle of park looking for a free kick and gets nothing. Simeone is unhappy again and will be giving a rather charged half-time teamtalk I should imagine.
- 43' Falcao turns beautifully on the edge of the box and overhits a pass to Arda Turan when he should feed Costa. A wasted chance.
- 42' Joaquin is a good natured guy and apologises to Miranda for raising his foot towards the defender's head.
- 41' Then Joaquin fouls João Miranda with a high foot - nothing sinister in it though - and the referee does give a free kick this time.
- 40' Joaquin is fouled by João Miranda on a winding run on the edge of the Atletico box, but gets nothing from the referee.
- 39' Mario Suarez is booked for a handball and will miss Atletico's next league match at home to Real Sociedad next weekend.
- 38' Atletico are far the better side so far in this first half, Malaga just can't get going and Joaquin has gone quiet. Isco is having the quietest game I've ever seen him have.
- 36' By the way, Malaga are still in this season’s Champions League and they host Porto on March 13th, going into the second leg of their last 16 tie having lost 1-0 in Portugal in the first leg.
- 35' Almost the same play again from the Atletico right, Koke driving in the cross this time from another free kick and Demichelis clearing with his left foot.
- 34' Atletico get a free kick on the left after a series of pushes on Costa and Filipe Luis. Koke floats in a cross and the big man Demichelis is there again to head clear. Yellow card for Weligton who fouled Falcao for that free kick with a late challenge.
- 33' Let's hope it's not another scoreless draw this time. This game could do with a goal to get things going.
- 32' For Rojiblanco boss Simeone this is a return to the stadium where he took charge of his first match as manager of Atleti. On that occasion they drew 0-0 back in January 2012.
- 31' Koke and Arda Turan labour over taking that corner and neither is able to find a cross into the box. Simeone is furious with that wastefulness.
- 30' Falcao is starting to control the Atletico attacking play with some nice combination passes with Juanfran. Corner to the visitors.
- 28' If Malaga are victorious this evening they would put three-point gap between themselves and fifth placed, after a 2-2 draw for Valencia in their derby meeting with Levante on Saturday.
- 27' It's never dull when Costa's in town. Now he shoulder charges Demichelis to the ground again and the referee might have to have a word soon.
- 26' Costa has just put in another trademark smash on an opposing defender, this time it's Demichelis who is floored! Watch this space!
- 25' These two sides are full of talent, with players like Juanfran and Falcao for Atleti and Isco and Joaquin for the hosts - however, no-one is stamping their authority on the game yet.
- 24' This is Atletico’s second match in Andalusia this week following their Wednesday night Copa del Rey semi-final draw at Sevilla, which sent them through to the final where they will of course face Real Madrid.
- 23' It's getting a bit tasty now as there is a clear handball from Godin and Malaga get nothing. Tempers are raised and the referee is receiving a few Andalusian insults.
- 22' Atletico go on the attack down the right, Rodriguez eventually cutting inside and missing the target with a left footed curling shot.
- 21' Local boy Isco, La Liga’s breakthrough player in 2011-12, is apparently wanted by several top European clubs but he signed a new contract with Malaga in January and the 20 year-old would cost around €35 million to prize away from Andalusia.
- 19' Malaga's talented young midfielder has been unusually quiet so far... perhaps he's just biding his time.
- 18' And Martin Demichelis almost gets them off the mark with a great header from a corner which trickles just wide! Courtois was well beaten there if it had gone the other side of the post.
- 16' Malaga always look likely to score goals at the Rosaleda, even if they've made a slower start than Atletico tonight. In fact they’ve netted in each of their last 17 league matches at home. Atletico's right full back Juanfran has just got a yellow card for handball.
- 15' Then Rodriguez tries the same again from 20 yards, this time from the right as opposed to the left. and the shot goes wide of the right post.
- 14' Excellent driven shot from range by Cristian Rodriguez which stings Willy Caballero's hands and causes him to spill the ball. The Malaga stopper collects the loose ball at the second attempt.
- 13' A fairly even contest so far, with Joaquin looking the liveliest for the hosts and Falcao and Costa causing a few problems for Malaga's defenders.
- 12' Real Madrid’s second victory in less than a week over Barcelona on Saturday, means Atleti have a chance of closing the gap between themselves and the league leaders to nine points with a win. But the result of the Clasico also means Atleti are now only one point ahead of city rivals Real.
- 10' Lucas Piazon has a good chance from a header as Joaquin provides a great cross from the right, the ball ending up in Thibaut Courtois' hands as the Atleti goalkeeper reacts well to the danger.
- 9' Arda Turan finds some space on the edge of the Malaga box and tries his luck from distance. The shot goes wide of the left hand post.
- 8' Atletico have just won and wasted another corner. They are looking more up for this in the opening minutes, a good start overall by the visitors.
- 7' Costa wastes a couple of early chances then... However, Atletico always look more dangerous in attack when he partners Falcao, taking the opponents' attention off the Colombian striker and often doing the hard work on behalf of his prolific teammate.
- 6' Costa directs another effort wide as Atletico win a free kick in a good position and Koke picks out the forward in the box. The header goes over the bar and Malaga can push out.
- 5' A good run by Falcao feeds his strike partner Costa in the Malaga box and the big Brazilian fires a woeful shot wide of the target.
- 3' Malaga win an early corner down their left wing and it is taken by Joaquin and easily cleared by Atletico at the near post through Diego Godin.
- 2' Free kick to Malaga in defence after Diego Costa puts in an early 'reducer' on Jesus Gamez.
1' The game commences with the home side kicking off in their usual blue and white colours and giving the ball away immediately with a long punt to Atletico who are in their traditional red and white shirts and blue shorts.- 17.55 Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid manager): “I expect the team to be okay after a couple of days of recovery (since cup match against Sevilla). We hope to come into this important match against a Málaga side that play very well, with a lot of command, at a great stadium and coached by a great manager. It’s a great game to play.”
- 17.52 Manuel Pellegrini (Malaga manager): “When you lose a match, it’s tough to regain a positive spirit over the week. We’re very conscious of the games we’ve lost, but football changes week after week. We’re hoping to return to the same winning form we’ve shown for the majority of the season.”
- 17.50 Atletico’s preferred midfield pairing of Gabi and Tiago are absent today – the former is also suspended after receiving a red card last weekend and his Portuguese colleague Tiago has a fractured forearm and will be out for several weeks. So Diego Simeone puts his faith in Mario, Koke and ‘Cebolla’ Rodríguez in the middle of the park.
- 17.45 Malaga want a positive response this evening after they were beaten 3-0 by Betis last weekend in Seville, just days after a Champions League defeat in Porto the previous week. However, they’re without injured Eliseu and Sergio Sánchez, whilst Ignacio Camacho is suspended for his red card against Betis last weekend. Roque Santa Cruz is preferred in attack to Javier Saviola.
- 17.40 This is another intriguing La Liga fixture as we’re seeing Spain’s top four square up this weekend, following Saturday’s Clasico between third placed Real Madrid and leaders Barcelona. Now it’s the turn of fourth placed Malaga and second placed Atletico Madrid to provide the entertainment as two Champions League hopefuls go head to head.
- 17.35 Teams: MALAGA: Willy, Gamez, Demichelis, Weligton, Antunes, Portillo, Toulalan, Lucas, Isco, Joaquin, Roque Santa Cruz... Subs: Kameni, Lugano, Seba, Duda, Iturra, Pedro Morales, Saviola. /// ATLETICO: Courtois, Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe, Arda Turan, Koke, Mario, Rodriguez, D. Costa, Falcao... Subs: Asenjo, Cata, Insua, Saul, Oliver, Adrian, Raul Garcia.
- 17.30 Good evening and welcome to LIVE coverage of this La Liga clash between Malaga and Atletico Madrid at La Rosaleda.
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Summary
- 78' Antunes takes the free kick and it is a great delivery which picks out Weligton in a crowded box. The Brazilian defender heads just wide!
- 10' Lucas Piazon has a good chance from a header as Joaquin provides a great cross from the right, the ball ending up in Thibaut Courtois' hands as the Atleti goalkeeper reacts well to the danger.
- 17.35 Teams: MALAGA: Willy, Gamez, Demichelis, Weligton, Antunes, Portillo, Toulalan, Lucas, Isco, Joaquin, Roque Santa Cruz... Subs: Kameni, Lugano, Seba, Duda, Iturra, Pedro Morales, Saviola. /// ATLETICO: Courtois, Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe, Arda Turan, Koke, Mario, Rodriguez, D. Costa, Falcao... Subs: Asenjo, Cata, Insua, Saul, Oliver, Adrian, Raul Garcia.
Team Line-up & Ratings
- Málaga CF
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
- Atlético Madrid
Manager: Diego Simeone
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Line-up
Live Team Line-Up
Starting line-up
- Willy
- J. Gámez
- M. Demichelis
- Weligton
- V. Antunes
- J. Toulalan
- L. Piazón
- Portillo
- Isco
- Joaquín
- R. Santa Cruz
Subs
- J. Saviola
- D. Lugano
63′ - M. Iturra 66′
- P. Morales
- S. Fernández 73′
- I. Kaméni
- Duda
Starting line-up
- T. Courtois
- Juanfran
- Miranda
- D. Godín
- Filipe
- M. Suárez
- Koke
- C. Rodríguez
- A. Turan
- R. Falcao
- Diego Costa
Subs
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