Full-time! Malaga 1-1 Real Madrid
That’s your lot. Malaga will probably be more disappointed with that result. They were the better team, had more chances and Real were quite awful. Zidane’s team climb above Atletico before their game later this evening into second but are nine points behind Barcelona with 13 games to play. Malaga sit in 10th. I will be back for Villarreal v Atletico in a couple of hours. Until then, enjoy life and thanks for reading!
Updated
90 min +4: Real come again, but Ramos is penalised for a foul of Albentosa when attempting to head goalswards.
90 min +3: Marcelo sends in another cross. It’s mis-hit but reaches Rodriguez who volleys straight at Kameni.
90 min +1: Marcelo, one of Real’s best players today, needlessly fouls Camacho in a dangerous position. Navas claims the free-kick. Real break through Ronaldo and then Marcelo but his cross towards Vazquez is cut out.
90 min: There will be four minutes added on! Marcelo crosses from the left. Kameni is out to catch.
90 min: Kameni is booked for time wasting. On Sky, meanwhile, David Phillips wonders why Duda is on. “Does he have something in his contract that means he has to play?” Err …
89 min: Rodriguez is whistled for offside. Malaga make their final change. Juanpi is off to a standing ovation – what a talent this 22-year-old is! – and Duda is on in his place.
87 min: Rodriguez wins a corner, his cross knocked out by the head of Torres. The Real player takes it, but it’s headed away by Charles. These final minutes could be a siege.
86 min: Another break in play as Weligton needs attention for a head injury after colliding with his defensive colleague and Malaga’s unlikely goalscorer Albentosa.
Updated
84 min: Modric is furious. He feels he should have a penalty after being taken down in the area by Torres but the referee motions for play to continue. It should have been a penalty. There was certain contact. One of those “anywhere else on the pitch and it’s a free-kick” moments.
83 min: A break in play as Juanpi receives some attention after a tough but fair challenge from Kroos.
80 min: Malaga’s second switch sees Cop hauled off for Santa Cruz. Cop worked hard and was impressive in general play but his finishing was poor.
79 min: Ronaldo gets a sight of goal after a sweet Modric through ball but Weligton recovers well to put the striker off and put him off sufficiently. The shot zips harmlessly wide.
78 min: Rodriguez tries to find Ronaldo with a diagonal pass from the left but Kameni comes out to save.
76 min: Another glorious opportunity for Malaga! Rosares crosses from the right, Charles gets in front of Nacho but the striker’s header is brilliantly saved by Navas. The subsequent corner is put out for another one by Ramos. The second corner results in a goal-kick, but Malaga should have this game put beyond doubt by now.
75 min: It’s Rodriguez time! He is on for Isco, who departs to a standing ovation from the Malaga support, being a former player and all.
74 min: Real are putting the squeeze on now but that could then leave them culpable on the break. Malaga still look to have plenty of energy.
72 min: Marcelo flashes a cross-cum-shot across goal towards Isco, who cannot reach it. Malaga have a goal-kick.
71 min: Modric is booked for entering a challenge with Camacho with his right boot four foot off the ground.
Updated
70 min: Isco is played in by Kovacic and finds the net but he is flagged off after Rosales cleverly steps up.
68 min: How can Real respond to being pulled back level? They have been so poor.
Goal! Malaga 1-1 Real Madrid (Albentosa)
67 min: After their strikers wasted so many chances, the centre-half strikes home! Weligton crossed it from the left and the least likely of goalscorers arrived at the back-post, evading Marcelo’s radar, to hit a right-footed half-volley past Navas. It is well deserved.
Updated
66 min: And Fornals’ first involvement is a right-footed effort that heads for goal but Ramos is there to stretch a leg out and deflect away for a corner.
63 min: Real are trying to kill Malaga’s momentum now, passing the ball calmly around the back. When they finally attack, Isco heads wide. And that sees Malaga make their first change, Fornals comes on for Horta.
62 min: Juanpi after a neat interchange with Charles tries an audacious chip but Navas saves.
61 min: Zidane think it is time to freshen things up. Jese is replaced by Vazquez.
59 min: Another glorious chance spurned by Malaga. Cop chops over with a rebounded effort after Juanmi’s initial attempt was blocked by Nacho.
57 min: Rosales gets the better of Ronaldo, who loses control after a stepover too many, allowing Malaga to break. Juanpi – he is everywhere – picks out Cop but he is crowded out.
Updated
56 min: Ronaldo gets round Weligton without much bother but Kameni saves his long-range attempt convincingly.
55 min: Camacho is the latest to be shown a yellow card, which means he will miss the game against Sociedad next weekend. He planted his studs on Marcelo’s achilles. It was a needless challenge but a deserved booking.
53 min: Juanpi has been wonderful. He rapidly dribbles past Kovacic, who cynically hauls the Malaga player down on the right. Juanpi takes the set play himself but Kroos clears.
52 min: Albentosa hits the deck after a tiny shove from Ronaldo. What an embarrassment from the Malaga defender, who sinks to the ground as if he had been mortally wounded.
Here is that clip from Leverkusen v Dortmund, by the way.
.@BVB and @bayer04fussball temporarily suspended after referee Felix Zwayer has enough of Leverkusen's complaints! https://t.co/mVqm0mbBUm
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) February 21, 2016
50 min: Malaga are almost level. Horta crosses from the left, Nacho deflects it awkwardly but Navas saves it from being an own goal. The hosts have a corner, but it amounts to nothing.
49 min: Anyway, there has been a prosaic start to the second half here. It will be interesting to see if Malaga grow tired as the game progresses. Their intensity was something to behold in that opening period.
There has been drama in the Bundesliga, in case you were interested. Dortmund scored a contentious goal against Leverkusen, whose players protested angrily. The referee has stormed off down the tunnel!
Updated
47 min: Real start with a prolonged spell of possession.
Attendance: 28,198.
Restarted
46 min: Malaga get us going again, kicking it from right to left as we watch it.
An email from JR in Illinois
We’ve got Ray Hudson announcing this one. He’s saying all of his usual silly stuff which often makes me laugh but he’s got one particular thing he often says which is really weird even by his standards. He repeatedly calls Cristiano Ronaldo “the dark invader”. I have no idea where or why he came up with that but it gives me the creeps.
I might just refer to him as that for the second half.
Dacre ponders the omission of a certain Colombian
Why does James Rodriguez not play so much anymore? Last season he was one of Real Madrid’s best players and he still is. However, Zidane does not use him very much. Real Madrid are missing his creative ability.
He was also out of favour during Benitez’s latter days in charge.
And Nick Parmenter adds
Do you reckon Zidane’s tactics are pretty much, just go out and play?? Seems a little pointless trying to over complicate the game?
It’s probably more down to his team being individuals rather than a team.
Half-time: Malaga 0-1 Real Madrid
And that’s the break. Malaga have had the best chances but find themselves a goal down due to Ronaldo’s 33rd minute header, which should have been disallowed for offside. He also had a penalty saved two minutes later. Stay tuned, it’s a belter.
Updated
45 min: Ronaldo is played in by a scrumptious through ball from Carvajal but is flagged for offside. This time the call is correct.
43 min: It’s cleared, but only as far as Kroos, who sends in another cross. Weligton gets rid this time, allowing Malaga to break. Juanpi is in a good position again but is incorrectly flagged for offside. Marcelo was playing him onside.
43 min: Carvajal wins a corner on the right off Torres.
39 min: Yes, they can. Juanpi cuts the Real defence apart again. He feeds Cop, whose scuffed effort is denied by a right-foot stop from Navas, the ball looping up for Ramos to then head over the bar for a corner, which amounts to nothing.
38 min: What a game! Can Malaga respond?
36 min: It’s saved! Ronaldo goes low to Kameni’s left and the keeper gets down to palm the strike away. Brilliant from the Malaga No1.
34 min: And now Ronaldo wins a penalty. He plays a one-two with Marcelo before jigging into the area. Weligton puts his leg out and brings Real’s star man down.
Goal! Malaga 0-1 Real Madrid (Ronaldo)
33 min: Jinx! It’s his first goal in five away league games. But it should not count. Kroos delivers an inswinging free-kick from the right. Ronaldo rises and heads brilliantly into the bottom left corner, leaving Kameni with no chance. But Ronaldo is marginally offside and it should not count. Malaga have been the better team but how they now rue those missed chances.
Updated
31 min: Ronaldo is on the pitch, it can be confirmed. He has just had a little kerfuffle with Albentosa. Sarcastically giving a thumbs up and nod when play restarts with a Malaga free-kick.
29 min: Real should really be behind but they are still level. Ronaldo has been anonymous and Benzema is being missed. The visitors look awfully shaky in defence, too, with Nacho playing instead of the injured Pepe and suspended Varane.
26 min: And now Kovacic is penalised for a foul on Juanpi, who looks 14-years-old at most, on Malaga’s right. Rosales delivers the free but Ramos is up to head it away.
25 min: Rosales is fouled by Marcelo, who picks up a yellow card.
24 min: And now Real have a big chance but Kameni does well to deny Jese. Marcelo cut in from the left and played a delightful through ball to the Real attacker but he takes his time before shooting when a first-time effort might have suited a bit better.
21 min: Oh my! Malaga waste another glorious chance. Camacho wins the ball on the right and feeds Juanpi. He passes diagonally into the area, where Horta is clean through but he somehow hits the side-netting from eight yards with no Real defender near him.
20 min: “Juanpi, Juanpi” chant the home supporters but he will be so disappointed with that. He did not appear confident enough to strike with his weaker right foot and by the time he switched to his left, Navas had made himself big and welcomed a shot straight at him with open arms.
19 min: And another defensive howler from Real. This time Kroos squanders possession, allowing Juanpi through one-on-one but he dallies, overthinks his shot and fails to make Navas work. That was sloppy all round.
18 min: Carvajal recycles play on the right and he sends a tasty cross to Isco. The attacker uses his chest to take control but fails to execute his shot well enough, blasting it over.
17 min: Isco is crowded out on the edge of the area but Nacho recovers possession. And Jese finds himself through. Kameni spots the move developing though and is already off his line to deflect the ball out for a corner just as Jese was about to strike. Kroos takes the corner and Kameni is out to punch away.
16 min: Malaga are acquitting themselves very well here. And have just about been the better team. Horta sends a cross in from the left but it is overhit by a long way and Marcelo is on hand to get rid.
14 min: Oh what a howler from Navas. He embarrassginyl shanks a goal-kick and it allows Charles through one-on-one. The goalie races off his line to slide in on the Malaga striker before he strikes. It could easily have been 1-0 to the hosts.
13 min: Cop wildly shoots high and wide first time from about 25 yards. Poor.
11 min: Recio annoys Marcelo by bringing the left-back down near the touchline. They square up to each other and say whatever the Spanish is for “You want some?” before sensibly chilling out. Real have a free-kick.
10 min: Jese tries to cross from the right but Torres blocks it well, allowing Malaga to break but Charles eventually runs into trouble, also known as Nacho, who hooks away.
8 min: Isco zooms down the right after making mince meat of Weligton but his cross is headed out for a corner by Albentosa. The corner is delivered towards Ramos but his tame header is easily saved by Kameni.
Updated
7 min: Malaga win a corner that is struck towards the ‘D’ for Rosales to whack but Jese spots the move and rushes into a position where he can head clear.
6 min: Malaga settle down a bit and enjoy some of the ball across the defence. They endured a horror start to this season of course but have improved quite a bit of late, taking 21 points from their last 12 games.
4 min: Ronaldo spent the first couple of minutes on the left, with Isco on the opposite side and Jese in between. Already they have switched. Ronaldo is now on the right, Isco is on the left.
3 min: Quite a lively start to this one. Marcelo feeds Isco on the left channel. He shows night feet to cut in but his shot from a tight angle is saved.
2 min: A ludicrously early yellow card for Malaga’s Miguel Torres, who cynically hauls Jese down near halfway. When play restarts, Jese charges down the right but Weligton does well to shield the ball out for a goal-kick.
Updated
1 min: Malaga force some early pressure and Ramos leaves a back pass short that Navas needs to react to quickly. The goalkeeper hoofs the ball clear for a throw-in.
Kick-off!
1 min: The visitors get us going in the Costa del Sol, playing from right to left as we watch.
The teams have merged from the tunnel. Malaga are in blue and white, Real in their navy away strip.
Malaga as expected, with top scorer Charles leading the line. Nacho does indeed partner Ramos at the back for Real but there is no Benzema, who is suffering from a bit of back knack. Rodriguez is only on the bench for the visitors.
The teams!
Malaga: Kameni; Rosales, Albentosa, Weligton, Torres; Camacho, Recio, Juanpi, Horta; Cop, Charles. Subs: Ochoa, Uche, Duda, Boka, Filipenko, Santa Cruz, Fornals.
Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Nacho, Marcelo; Kroos, Modric, Kovacic; Isco, Jese, Ronaldo. Subs: Casilla, Rodriguez, Casemiro, Arbeloa, Vazquez, Danilo, Mayoral.
Preamble
Hello. Real Madrid have won five and drawn one since Zinedine Zidane took over from Rafael Benítez early last month. They also defeated Roma comfortably in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie midweek … but all is not rosy. Cristiano Ronaldo is more tetchy than ever, Gareth Bale remains sidelined and, most importantly, they still find themselves 10 points behind the unstoppable Barcelona coming into this meeting with Malaga on the south coast. Pepe is a doubt and Raphael Varane is suspended for this, meaning Nacho could partner Sergio Ramos in the heart of a defence that has kept only a pair of clean sheets in the league since Zidane took control. Malaga, meanwhile, are pattering along in mid-table – eight points off the Europa League and nine points clear of the bottom three. This should be routine for Real. Kick-off is at 4pm local time, 3pm GMT. Team news will be along shortly.
Updated
