Everything was set for the azulgranas to enjoy a dream evening at Ipurua. Castellón’s slip earlier in the afternoon eased the pressure in the playoff zone, Ipurua recorded its best attendance of the season (over 80% full), and the momentum of the Armero team could not have been better. Ten consecutive matches without defeat, conceding just three goals in that stretch. But this was not their night.
The match went wrong from the very start. Despite managing to react and take the lead, the white-and-blue bench made the difference in a second half to forget. In less than 20 minutes, Eibar conceded the same number of goals they had allowed in their previous ten games: three. Two months of defensive rigor collapsed under the quality of their opponent. And looking further back, it has been six and a half years since Eibar last allowed four goals at home. That happened in La Liga in November 2019, when Real Madrid imposed their will with a brace from Benzema, one from Fede Valverde, and another from Sergio Ramos. At the second-tier level, the precedent is even more distant, dating back to the late 20th century when they suffered a 2–5 defeat to CD Logroñés.
Just as in that match against the now-defunct Rioja side, last Saturday Málaga gave no quarter, and their decisiveness in the penalty areas proved decisive. According to Beñat San José, they were the best team to visit Ipurua this season. The stats back that up: beyond outscoring Eibar and dominating possession, the Boquerones also surpassed them in shots on target, passes in the final third, tackles, clearances, and interceptions.
Eibar began by facing the hardest task. A penalty against them in the 8th minute forced a comeback, but despite Málaga’s skill on the ball, the hosts managed to go into halftime with a lead. That scoreline was somewhat misleading, given the difficulties they encountered in building from the back and maintaining long passages of possession. Málaga, led by Funes, controlled long stretches of the first half. In the second half, however, the gap was clear.
Right after the restart, Málaga set up camp in Eibar’s half. They overwhelmed the Armeros by packing the midfield with numbers and gradually began knocking on the door. Their short passing combinations allowed them to regain possession quickly, unlike an Eibar side unable to string four consecutive passes together. That prompted San José to make a double substitution early. But just when a 3–1 seemed imminent—thanks to a clear chance for Bautista—the visitors equalized.
SD Eibar
Arbilla: “We are very much alive in this fight”
Eibar 2 – Málaga 4
San José: “I decided to go for the win, and they beat us blow for blow”
Despite the change in the script, the equalizer barely disrupted the azulgranas’ intention to chase the third goal. However, Málaga’s bench depth proved decisive in an environment where space condemned the Gipuzkoan side in the exchange of blows. As a result, Ipurua suffered its third league defeat of the season, ending a ten-match unbeaten streak. The stadium still leads the category (the best home record in Segunda), but on the most significant day, they were simply outclassed.
