Alaves 1-1 Malaga: Match Recap and Result

Alaves vs Malaga finished 1-1 in LaLiga after the home side came from behind. Adrian Nino had given the visitors a lead they carried through most of the night, until Aitor Manas answered in the 89th minute on a night when Alaves created the clearer volume of chances.

Match Summary

Neither team scored through the first 40 minutes. The first booking of the match went to Alaves, Lucas Boye cautioned in the 39th minute. Malaga then struck. Adrian Nino scored in the 44th minute, a goal that arrived late enough in the half that Alaves had no realistic window to reply before the whistle.

The second half followed a different pattern. Alaves spent it hunting an equalizer, and Malaga spent it trying to keep what they had. Nahuel Tenaglia was booked in the 67th minute while the home side continued to press. The visitors still held the lead as the game entered its last ten minutes. Carlos Dotor was booked in the 84th minute, and Malaga were still in front. Then Aitor Manas scored in the 89th minute. The official scoreline finished 1-1.

Key Moments

The first swing was timing rather than control. A lead arriving so close to the interval meant Alaves had to reopen the match after the break instead of walking in level. That chase defined the rest of the contest. The late equalizer mattered because it stopped Malaga leaving with three points from a game Alaves finished well ahead on shots and expected goals. Discipline never decided it. Three yellow cards, two of them to Alaves, left both teams at full strength for the finish.

Match Statistics

The shot count sat with Alaves. They recorded 18 attempts against 6 and 1.84 expected goals against 0.61. Corners were 7-2 in the same direction. Shots on target were closer, 4 for Alaves and 3 for Malaga, which fits a match that stayed tight on the scoreboard for so long. Yellow cards were two for the home side and one for the visitors. No red cards were shown. That expected-goals gap of more than a goal is the simplest explanation for why Alaves were still in it until the end.