Third-place Real Madrid travelled to Malaga on Saturday trailing La Liga leaders Barcelona by 10 points.
Malaga had a whole host of chances in the first period, but they entered the interval behind courtesy of a header from Cristiano Ronaldo in the 33rd minute.
Ronaldo had the chance to make it 2-0 from the penalty spot two minutes after scoring, but the Portuguese saw his spot kick kept out by Carlos Kameni.
Malaga were deservedly level in the 66th minute when Raul Albentosa fired home from close range, however, and that was where the scoring ended on the afternoon.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.
Afternoon all! Sports Mole's live La Liga coverage continues from La Rosaleda as Malaga welcome Real Madrid. Put simply, this is a must-win match for Los Blancos, who have fallen 10 points off the summit due to Barcelona's win at Las Palmas on Saturday. As for Malaga, they will enter this game off the back of a decent run, especially in this stadium. It should be a cracking game!
To suggest that the omens are not great for Malaga this afternoon, however, would be putting it very mildly indeed. The Andalusian side have only won one of their last 27 La Liga games against Real Madrid – suffering 21 defeats in the process. Their sole win came in December 2012, but since then, it has all gone the way of Los Blancos, who as expected, are the strong favourites to claim the three points.
That said, Malaga held Real Madrid to a 0-0 draw at the Bernabeu in the league earlier this season and Los Blancos were only narrow winners (2-1) when they travelled to La Rosaleda last term. Malaga have a knack of making it difficult for the bigger teams and that might well be the case this afternoon.
Right, without further ado, let me bring you up-to-speed with the all-important team news from Malaga. Who have Javi Gracia and Zinedine Zidane selected in their starting sides? Let's see...
TEAMS:
MALAGA: Kameni; Rosales, Albentosa, Weligton, Torres; Camacho, Recio; Juanpi, Horta, Cop; Charles
REAL: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Nacho, Marcelo; Kovacic, Modric, Kroos; Isco, Ronaldo, Jese
Malaga boss Javi Gracia has made two changes to his side this afternoon, with Recio and Ricardo Horta replacing Fernando Tissone and Pablo Fornals. As a result, leading scorer Charles continues in the final third with support from the Croatian Duje Cop. Ignacio Camacho also keeps his midfield spot.
As for Real Madrid, Raphael Varane is suspended and Karim Benzema is missing with a hip problem. That has allowed Nacho and Jese Rodriguez to come into the XI, while there is also a start for Mateo Kovacic, who replaces James Rodriguez. Otherwise it is the same team that beat Roma in the Champions League during the week, with Cristiano Ronaldo expected to lead the attack at La Rosaleda.
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So there we have it. The two teams are in and we are now little under 40 minutes from kickoff on this mild afternoon in Malaga. I shall speak about Real Madrid a little bit later, but let's start with the home team, who will enter this match in 11th position courtesy of a 1-0 defeat at Villarreal last weekend.
Malaga's record from 24 league matches reads – won eight, drawn six and lost 10. Goals have been a real problem for Gracia's side this season, with only one team (Real Betis) hitting fewer at this stage of the campaign. They have been strong at the back, however, only shipping 21 goals, which is up there with the best defensive records in the division. They are very tough to break down.
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As mentioned, they lost 1-0 at Villarreal last weekend, but back-to-back victories over Eibar and Getafe moved them clear of the relegation zone. The Andalusian side have also only lost one of their last five league games at La Rosaleda and that was against Barcelona towards the end of last month.
While Malaga will be keen to record a positive result this afternoon and claim a big scalp in the process, where they ultimately finish in the table this season will not depend on these type of games. After this one, they will face Real Sociedad, Valencia, Deportivo La Coruna and Sporting Gijon in their next four and Gracia will be looking for a strong points total from that run of matches.
This Malaga is a long way away from the one that finished fourth in Spain's top flight in 2012, but they posted ninth last season and will be looking for a similar position this time around. Nine points currently separate them from the relegation zone and they are actually only six points off the top seven.
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As for Real Madrid, they will enter this match in third position, 10 points off the leaders Barcelona, who beat 2-1 Las Palmas on Saturday. The Catalan outfit have now played one game more, however, and the pressure is back on Real Madrid, who must keep winning and hope that their rivals slip up.
Indeed, three points here would also take Real Madrid above second-place Atletico Madrid, who face Villarreal tonight in what could be the game of the weekend. You could be forgiven for thinking that Real Madrid's position in the table is down to a poor run of form, but that is simply not the case. Instead, Barcelona just cannot seem to stop recording wins and 10 points is a massive gap at this stage.
Real Madrid are currently on a nine-game unbeaten run in the league – six of which have been under the management of Zidane. The Frenchman's four home league games in charge have ended 5-0, 5-1, 6-0 and 4-2 respectively, but it has been a struggle on the road – drawing 1-1 at Real Betis and only narrowly beating Granada 2-1. They have not exactly been convincing on their travels under Zidane.
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The Spanish giants, who recorded a 4-2 win over Athletic Bilbao in the league last weekend, will enter this match off the back of an impressive 2-0 victory at Roma in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash on Wednesday. Cristiano Ronaldo and Jese Rodriguez were both on the scoresheet in the second period for Los Blancos, who now surely have one foot in the quarter-finals once again.
Real Madrid will welcome Atletico Madrid to the Bernabeu next Saturday in a match that needs no introduction, but Los Blancos have to focus on this very tricky clash first. Victory here and indeed against Atletico next weekend would then lead them nicely into games against Levante and Celta Vigo, before welcoming Roma for the second leg of their Champions League match-up on March 8.
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PREDICTION! I fancy Real Madrid, just. Malaga are tough to beat in this ground and do not concede many goals, but I just fancy the visitors to claim a very important three points with a 2-1 victory.
A reminder of the two teams for this match...
MALAGA: Kameni; Rosales, Albentosa, Weligton, Torres; Camacho, Recio; Juanpi, Horta, Cop; Charles
REAL: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Nacho, Marcelo; Kovacic, Modric, Kroos; Isco, Ronaldo, Jese
KICKOFF! Here we go then - the pre-match handshakes have been undertaken and the flags have been exchanged. Simply put, Real Madrid have to win this match. Lose or draw and the title race could well be over. Right, it is the away side that get the first 45 minutes of action underway here...
... not exactly a full house inside the stadium this afternoon, but there is a good atmosphere and the home supporters are in fine voice in these early moments. You just get the feeling that the first goal - if there indeed is one - could be vital here. Decent early possession for Malaga at La Rosaleda.
A risky back-pass from Ramos puts his goalkeeper in trouble, but Navas gets in ahead of Charles!
BOOKING! Torres (Malaga) is booked for pulling back Jese.
Super feet from Isco as the former Malaga midfielder dances into the home side's box, but his strike towards goal and is blocked and Weligton can clear. Very lively opening four minutes to this match.
Isco, Ronaldo and Jese are all swapping positions in that Real Madrid attack at the moment and Isco looks to be fired up against his former club. Not much to report in terms of clear attacking pressure thus far, but the early indications are that we will have an open game of football at La Rosaleda here.
Super work from Cop as the Croatian finds space before setting up Charles inside the Real Madrid box, but the striker takes one touch too many and Nacho is across to clear for a Malaga corner.
Tricky work from Isco as the Real Madrid attacker drives away from Torres down the right before delivering towards Ronaldo, but Albentosa is on hand to clear for a corner. The resulting set piece is worked short and eventually finds the head of Ramos, but his effort is straight at Carlos Kameni.
It has been a very even opening 11 minutes, with both teams threatening in the final third of the field. The handbags come out as Recio dives into the back of Marcelo, but the referee calms the situation.
The match does seem to have settled in the last couple of minutes as both teams attempt to put their foot on the ball. Real Madrid look dangerous in the final third, but Malaga also have plenty of movement as Cop operates behind Charles. It is a very interesting tactical battle at the moment.
Cop has a go from distance, but his effort is high and wide of Navas's goal.
A poor kick from Navas allows Charles to go one-on-one with the Real Madrid goalkeeper, but the flag was just raised when Cop slipped the ball through to his teammate. Very close call there!
We are still waiting for the first clear chance of the match, but Real Madrid do not look secure at the back this afternoon and you sense that Malaga will have opportunities throughout the match. Nacho is not exactly the securest defender and the centre-back has been sloppy at times in this game.
CHANCE! The first chance of the match comes to Real Madrid as Kovacic slips a super pass into Jese, who tries to beat Kameni from a narrow angle, but it is a fine stop from the Cameroonian!
Isco hammers a half-volley over the Malaga crossbar from a wide position!
CHANCE! Stunning chance for Malaga to take the lead as Juanpi takes advantage of a poor mistake from Kroos to advance one-on-one with Navas, but his effort is straight at the stopper!
CHANCE! Another glorious chance for the home side as Horta arrives unmarked inside the Real Madrid box, but the attacker hits the side-netting under no pressure! Glaring miss there!
Real Madrid's defence has been all over the place in the opening 23 minutes!
CHANCE! Another wonderful chance, this time for Real Madrid, as Marcelo slips a pass into Jese, but the attacker cannot beat the diving Kameni from close range. Chances galore here!
BOOKING! Marcelo (Real Madrid) is booked for a late challenge on Rosales.
Camacho tries to squeeze one past Navas inside the Real Madrid box, but it was more of a reaction effort from the Malaga midfielder and the Costa Rican stopper makes a comfortable save.
Little over 15 minutes of the first period remaining and it is hard to believe that this game is still level. Real Madrid have had some excellent chances, but the better opportunities have fallen to Malaga, whose finishing has been disappointing. It has been a super 29 minutes of football in Malaga.
Real Madrid have had around 64% of the possession in this match, but they have no real control over an energetic Malaga team. Indeed, the visitors are fortunate not to be behind in this game.
Ronaldo has just gone down in an off-the-ball challenge with Albentosa!
Ronaldo is livid, but the referee takes no action and safe to say the Portuguese is not pleased!
GOAL! Malaga 0-1 Real Madrid (Ronaldo)
It just had to be him didn't it! Real Madrid take the lead in the 33rd minute as Ronaldo heads a Kroos free kick into the back of the net. There was definitely a hint of offside about the goal though!
PENALTY REAL MADRID!
BOOKING! Weligton (Malaga) is booked for bringing Ronaldo down inside the box!
SAVE! Kameni keeps out Ronaldo's spot kick!
Kameni got down so well to keep that out and keep his team in the match!
Well, Real Madrid are suddenly all over Malaga here. It is very important that the home side do not concede a second before the interval, but that penalty miss could be a massive moment!
CROSSBAR! Another clear-cut opening for the home side, but Cop's low strike is deflected onto the crossbar by the foot of Navas, who did well to make any form of contract there!
BOOKING! Charles (Malaga) is booked for dissent.
Real Madrid look like conceding every time that Malaga break forward, but the visitors are so dangerous on the counter-attack and look ready to strike a killer blow before the break here.
Juanpi again breaks free for the home side, but the referee spots the linesman's flag. I am not sure about that one! This first period is about to end and it has been a stunning first 45 minutes!
HALF-TIME: Malaga 0-1 Real Madrid
So there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close with Real Madrid leading 1-0, but that does not even begin to tell the story. Malaga could have had three or four goals in that first half, but were let down by some poor finishing. Ronaldo sent his team ahead in the 33rd minute, but then missed from the penalty spot two minutes later to keep Malaga in this game at the half-time break!
STATS! Real Madrid have dominated the possession at La Rosaleda with 60%, while they have had eight attempts - five of which were on target. Malaga, meanwhile, have hit the target with two of their five attempts, but have certainly had the better chances. Four bookings to report, meanwhile.
BENCH WATCH! Malaga have been very good going forward in this match, but they do seem to be lacking a finisher and Roque Santa Cruz could well be that player in the second period. Duda, Fornals and Uche are also options on the bench for the visitors. Real Madrid, meanwhile, have the likes of Lucas Vasquez and James Rodriguez on their bench, in addition to Colombian forward James Rodriguez.
How often does this man make the difference for Real Madrid?
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RESTART! Here we go then - both sets of players re-join us on the pitch for the second period. Can Malaga get the goal that they deserve? We shall see! Malaga resume the action here...
... no changes from either side at the break, which is not too much of a surprise. However, I suspect that both managers will have alterations in mind as the second 45 minutes develops in this match.
It has been a bright start to the second period from both teams, with Jese coming close to finding a teammate from a low cross, before Charles was denied by a fine challenge from Ramos down the other end. It has been a little bit scrappy in midfield, which is creating the open feel here!
SAVE! Super goalkeeping from Ramos as the Real Madrid stopper palms a Horta strike over the crossbar. It had actually been deflected by Nacho, which made the save even better!
The referee needs to watch Ronaldo and Albentosa as the duo continue to clash! Ronaldo hardly touches the Malaga defender, who throws himself to the ground. No place for that in the game!
Malaga have had the chance to threaten from a couple of free kicks in the last few minutes, but Real Madrid have been better at the back since the break. It is still so delicately poised at La Rosaleda.
BOOKING! Camacho (Malaga) is booked for a late challenge on Marcelo.
SAVE! Kameni flies across his goal to keep out a strike from Ronaldo.
Little over 30 minutes of this clash remaining and you just get the feeling that there is at least one more goal in this match. It is quite incredible that Malaga have not found the back of the net here.
Cop fires over the Real Madrid crossbar as Malaga come close once again here.
REAL MADRID SUB! Lucas Vasquez replaces Jese for the away team.
Juanpi attempts to chip Navas as the home side come close once again, but the Costa Rican makes the save and releases Ronaldo down-field. Such a fascinating game of football taking place here.
MALAGA SUB! Fornals replaces Horta in Malaga's first change.
You can just sense the nerves in the crowd every time that Real Madrid break forward, but the away side have been sloppy in the final third for much of this match. You still get the feeling that there is another goal in this game, however, as both teams continue to commit players in the final third.
Ramos deflects a Fornals effort over the crossbar as Malaga come close once again.
GOAL! Malaga 1-1 Real Madrid (Albentosa)
Malaga level the scores in the 66th minute as Albentosa fires home from close range after a low Weligton cross had reached his fellow centre-back at the far post - super finish that!
Real Madrid have around 20 minutes to keep their slim title hopes alive this season!
GOAL DISALLOWED! Isco has the ball in the back of the Malaga net after converting from close range, but the Spaniard was ruled offside. Correct decision.
BOOKING! Modric (Real Madrid) is booked for a high boot.
Marcelo drags a low effort across the face of goal as Real Madrid come close to a second.
Malaga have started to drop very deep here, which is understandable, but it is inviting pressure from Real Madrid, who will go full throttle in search of a vital second goal late on here.
REAL MADRID SUB! Isco is replaced by James Rodriguez for the away side.
SAVE! Stunning save from Navas to keep out a thumping Charles header!
Malaga should be ahead in this match, there is no question about that. Yes Real Madrid have had chances to score more goals, but the home side have been dominant for long spells of this game.
Ronaldo goes through on the Malaga goal, but he is under serious pressure and the Real Madrid attacker can only scuff his effort wide of the post. Still 1-1 with 79 minutes played at La Rosaleda.
MALAGA SUB! Santa Cruz replaces Cop for the home team.
Little under 10 minutes of football remaining here and Malaga are pretty comfortable.
Weligton is currently down receiving some treatment for the home team.
We are back underway and there should be a decent chunk of added time at the end of the 90.
Real Madrid continue to force the issue and a cross from the right causes problems inside the Malaga box, but Ronaldo cannot make contact and the home side manage to pump it clear!
MALAGA SUB! Duda replaces Juanpi for the home team.
BOOKING! Kameni (Malaga) is booked for timewasting.
Vasquez digs out a cross into the Malaga box, but Weligton hacks clear! Four added minutes!
Duda has the chance to deliver a free kick into the Real Madrid box, but Navas claims.
James fires straight at Kameni in what could be the final chance!
FULL-TIME: Malaga 1-1 Real Madrid
So there we have it. Real Madrid miss the chance to close the gap on Barcelona and Zidane's side are now nine points off the leaders in La Liga. Make no mistake about it - Malaga, who continue to improve, were the superior team in this match and the visitors were extremely fortunate to claim a point at La Rosaleda. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for the action once again. Until next time!
