Early hope faded quickly at La Rosaleda. Málaga CF fell 1-3 to Villarreal on Thursday in La Liga matchday six, a result that confirms a tough spell for the Andalusian side, who are now winless in their last five matches.
Carlos Dotor put the hosts ahead in the 12th minute, finishing a pass from Juan Cruz to beat goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi. The lead was short-lived. Alberto Moleiro levelled the score before half-time in the 40th minute, assisted by Ilias Akhomach. And in first-half stoppage time, substitute Pape Gueye, who had come on for Santi Comesaña, completed the turnaround with a goal assisted by Ayoze Pérez.
A second half without a response
Half-time changes that saw Dani Lorenzo and Rafael Garrido replace Juan Cruz and José Salinas did not alter the flow of the game. Villarreal controlled 63% of possession and created 16 shots, compared to just five from a Málaga side that managed only one on target. The home defence accumulated yellow cards, with bookings for Salinas, David Larrubia, Einar Galilea, Ramón Enríquez and goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero. The final blow came in the 86th minute, when Gueye converted a penalty to complete his brace and seal the 1-3 scoreline.
This result leaves Málaga CF with a recent form sequence of LDDLD, without a win since the start of the season. The defeat to Villarreal follows a draw in Vigo and the heavy loss at the Bernabéu. The team must react quickly, as their next fixture is this Sunday at 21:00, away to Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez. Fans can check the full season schedule on our fixtures page and the senior squad status in the squad section.
