27/12/2024

Malaga vs Barcelona live score and goal updates

Sábado 10 de Marzo del 2018

Malaga vs Barcelona live score and goal updates

The Blaugrana will hope to consolidate their La Liga lead ahead of the Champions League second leg vs Chelsea

The Blaugrana will hope to consolidate their La Liga lead ahead of the Champions League second leg vs Chelsea

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It's a big few days for Barcelona as they bid to advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League by negotiating their home second leg vs Chelsea.

But first it's La Liga business and a trip to Malaga, without Lionel Messi, who is permitted time off to be with his family and newly-born son Ciro.

He'll be back on Wednesday, but Ernesto Valverde will have to lean on Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho here.

With an eight point lead, Barca will hope to extend that lead to 11 points with Atletico Madrid playing Celta on Sunday.

Follow all the action from La Rosaleda here.

Great vision! That's a fine piece of improvisation from Dembele, who passes up the chance for a shot to clip in the perfect cross for Umtiti at the far post, but the defender sends his free header straight at Jimenez! He's not happy with himself for failing to kill off the game there when he really should have.

One-way traffic here as Barcelona have set up camp in attack and are showing no signs of packing up. Malaga are coming under consistent pressure, with little respite on offer for their defence.

STAT: Jordi Alba has provided nine assists this season in all competitions, more than any other La Liga defender.

Suarez with a great chance from a free-kick.

It’s 25 yards out and slightly right of goal...

...straight into the wall!

Suarez claims responsibility, but he sends his effort crashing into the wall! Not very Messi-esque from Suarez, though the striker is certainly capable of better.

Iturra crashes into the back of Suarez as he goes into the book, but the bigger worry will be the ensuing free-kick which comes in an incredibly dangerous position for the visitors. Without Messi tonight, who will take it?

JUST WIDE! All Barcelona to start this second half, as Jordi Alba makes a vintage run down the left, played through by Coutinho, before hanging a cross in for Paulinho. A defensive touch breaks it up, but it only goes as far as Dembele, who lashes a volley just wide of the near post!

Here we go again...

Luis Suarez scored his first career goal against Malaga and Philippe Coutinho would double their lead shortly after. Malaga's misery continued as Samu Garcia saw red for a vicious challenge on Jordi Alba, leaving Barcelona well on course to widen their lead at the LaLiga summit.

HALF-TIME: MALAGA 0-2 BARCELONA.

There will be one minute added on at the end of this first half.

Suarez shows great skill and determination to dribble his way through a crowd of defenders, but just as he's about to go clean through on goal Miquel is able to stick a foot in to poke the ball behind for a goal-kick! That was vital to deny Barca a third.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Another fine save from Jimenez! Well he really has helped keep this scoreline respectable in the first half. Coutinho is teed up in space just to the left of goal and tries to pick out the far corner with a first-time effort, but Jimenez flies through the air to parry!

LIFTED OVER! Another big chance for the hosts as En-Nesyri makes a strong fun forward despite being completely outnumbered, before inadvertently rolling a pass across for Lacen, who has a clear sight of goal from 20 yards, but skies his effort!

A little update on Jordi Alba, who appears to be moving just fine out there again after receiving some treatment. That's great to see if you're Ernesto Valverde, who would hate to be without him against Chelsea this week.

SHOCKING MISS! That was a sitter for En-Nesyri, who was picked out by a lovely cross from Iturra, the midfielder doing so well to win the ball in the first place. The striker was gifted a wide-open net, but bounces his header wide!

STAT: Ernesto Valverde has only lost four of his 15 games as a manager in La Liga against Malaga (W9 D2), all four at La Rosaleda; Jose Gonzalez has lost both Barcelona meetings in the competition.

The hosts have a mountain to climb now. Two goals down and now a man short, the focus has switched from getting a result to damage control here, as the wind has completely been taken out of the sails at La Rosaleda.

ROJO! Garcia sees red for horror challenge on Alba

Samu Garcia has been sent off for a horribly late tackle on Jordi Alba.

Studs up and he catches the Barcelona left-back on the ankle.

A nasty one and deservedly he walks!

MALAGA DOWN TO 10 MEN! That's an absolutely disgusting challenge from Samu who gets his cleats into the ankle of Jordi Alba from behind. He had little chance at winning the ball and didn't hold up at all, as the referee doesn't hesitate in pulling out a red card.

Dembele provides the assist.

BARCA DOUBLE THEIR LEAD! That's a lovely little assist for Dembele, who puts his imprint on the match with a terrific pick out to set-up Coutinho, and the Brazilian produces a sensational back-heel finish as he tucks it in at the far post.

STAT: Before tonight, Malaga were the only LaLiga team that Luis Suarez has faced without scoring a single goal (five games played).

GOL! Malaga 0-2 Barcelona (Coutinho)

That’s just lovely from Coutinho.

He uses the pace on the cross from Dembele and scoops it with a backheel into the far corner.

His second Barcelona goal and it’s 2-0 to the visitors.

Barcelona are proving absolutely suffocating in possession. This is proving to be something of a training session in advance of their date with Chelsea on Wednesday.

The gulf in quality between these two sides is apparent here, with Barcelona having their way out there. The hosts are understandably timid to commit bodies forward, but they need to ask more questions of this Barca defence.

Huge chance for Paulinho there.

Put through on goal by Suarez and it’s missed at the near post with the Uruguayan following his ball back into the box.

Big let-off for Malaga.

(Image: REUTERS)

SIDE-NETTING! That was a great chance for Paulinho, who is played through on the end of a delicious first-time chipped pass from Suarez, but he squanders it, failing to even test the keeper! Barcelona looking threatening every time they attack, though.

Malaga showing a bit of fight as they try and mount a response here, but their quality is letting them down in the attacking half. And following a brief spell of possession, Barcelona are back camped out in the attacking half.

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