Málaga 2 - Celta Vigo 2

Málaga: Contreras; Rojas, Litos, Fernando Sanz, Roteta; Gerardo (Leko 58'), Romero, Zárate (Edgar 58'), Musampa; Canabal, Dely Valdés. 4-4-2.
Celta: Pinto; Velasco (Coira 46'), Cáceres Berizzo, Juanfran; Giovanella, Luccin (Sergio 46'); Karpin, Mostovoi, Jesuli (Edú 78'); Catanha. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Málaga: Roteta, Canabal for Iznata, Miguel Angel / Celta: Cáceres, Karpin, Mostovoi for Sergio, Edu, Boban.

Goals:
0-1. 05. Jesuli. Headed Karpin's cross into far corner of net.
1-1. 06. Musampa. Touched in after Rojas long throw headed on by Canabal.
1-2. 09. Karpin. Shot through legs of Contreras after ball in from Jesuli.
2-2. 45. Dely Valdes. Headed past keeper after long cross in from Gerardo.

Málaga and Celta shared the points in a game which ran out of steam in the second half. All the goals came in the first half, with Russia's Karpin starring in the match and making a first goal for Jesuli with only five minutes on the clock. Karpin had come back in to the side together with Mostovoi after both had returned from a wasted journey to Russia, having been called up for international duty and then told they were both suspended and could not play. Celta's glee only lasted a minute however before Málaga's best player on the night Musampa stuck out a foot to lift the ball over Pinto.

Play was swinging from end to end, and Berizzo was forced to clear off the line as Zárate's header beat Pinto. The ball came back out to Jesuli, and his cross was missed by Musampa leaving Karpin free to restore the lead. Karpin could have got his second but his shot went wide, and with the half coming to an end Dely Valdés made it all square again with his first of the season, hanging in the air like a basketball player to head Gerardo's cross down past Pinto. The second half was an anticlimax after that, leaving Celta in fourth place three points behind leaders Betis. Málaga drop to seventeenth, and are hoping for the return of Darío Silva in the next few days to move them back up the table.