Sunday 4th January 2009
Venue: La Rosaleda
Kick-off: 16:00
Score: 1 – 0
Malaga beat Sporting Gijon 1-0 in a hard-fought encounter between two promoted sides in the Primera Liga this afternoon.
Lolo scored the only goal of the match with a header in a dull first half to give Malaga their seventh win of the season and keep the Andalusians in eighth place as the Primera Liga resumed following the recent winter break.
Both Malaga and Sporting have adapted well to life back in the Primera Liga following poor starts to the season.
Malaga picked up just one point from the first five rounds of the championship, but rose to eighth place following a fine run of form prior to the winter break.
And Sporting got off to an even worse start, losing all of their first five matches.
But the northerners have also recovered well, climbing to the relative comfort of mid-table thanks to seven wins from their first 16 matches.
Malaga began this game brightly, but struggled to create a chance of note in an edgy first 20 minutes.
But the home side should have gone ahead just before the half hour mark, when Eliseu Pereira found himself one on one with Sergio Sanchez, but the Portuguese forward shot tamely at the Sporting keeper and the chance was lost.
At the other end, Croatian striker Mate Bilic almost made contact with a header as Sporting threatened for the first time.
But it was Malaga who went ahead shortly afterwards, when the unmarked Lolo rose to head Duda’s corner into an empty net after Sergio had come charging off his line and got nowhere near the ball.
The rest of the first half saw little in the way of goalmouth activity and Malaga went in with their narrow lead intact at the break.
The Andalusians dominated after the interval, though, and nearly went two up after 51 minutes, when Adrian Lopez pounced on a rebound but sent his shot spinning just wide.
Antonio Tapia’s side then missed an even better chance to double their lead on the hour as Apono blasted wildly over the bar from 12 yards out.
Sergio then had to be alert to deny Adrian as the forward bore down on goal with 16 minutes remaining.
It was all Malaga now and there looked to be no way back into the game for an under par Sporting side.
But despite their second half dominance, the crucial second goal remained elusive for Malaga as the final whistle approached and there were a few nervous moments for the home support late on.
Sporting never really looked likely to equalise, though, and the Andalusians held on in the end for an important win which sees them consolidate eighth place in the table.
Sporting drop a place to 12th, but sit seven points clear of the relegation zone after 17 rounds of the championship.
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