Aitor Mañas scores with a minute left as Alavés draw 1-1 with winless Málaga

Alavés needed a goal in the final minute to avoid defeat at home to Málaga, substitute Aitor Mañas scrambling in an equaliser on 89 minutes to make it 1-1 at Mendizorroza. Adrián Niño had given Málaga the lead right on the stroke of half-time, and the bottom club came within sixty seconds of a result that would have been their first win of the season.

A late let-off for the hosts

Niño's 44th-minute finish, set up by Ramón Enríquez, sent Málaga in at the break ahead and in control of a game that had been tight. Alavés pushed for an equaliser for most of the second half without finding the finish, until Mañas — on as a substitute — got the goal that salvaged a point with almost no time left to find another.

Málaga's winless run stretches to ten

The draw continues the longest-running story of Málaga's season: they remain the only club in LaLiga without a win, now ten league games into the campaign. This was their fifth draw of the season against five defeats, and the closest they have come to breaking the duck — leading for 45 minutes before Alavés found the leveller.

Match facts

• 44' — Adrián Niño (Málaga), assist Ramón Enríquez
• 89' — Aitor Mañas (Alavés)

Line-ups

Alavés set up in a 5-3-2 with Antonio Sivera in goal, Ville Koski, Nicolás Valentini, Nahuel Tenaglia, Abde Rebbach and Ángel Pérez across the back five, Antonio Blanco and Carles Aleñá in midfield, and Pablo Ibáñez, Mariano Díaz and Lucas Boyé up front. Aitor Mañas, Hugo Novoa, Toni Martínez, Denis Suárez and Youssef Lekhedim were introduced from the bench, with Mañas scoring the equaliser. Málaga played a 4-1-4-1 with Alfonso Herrero behind Einar Galilea, Ángel Recio, Ramón Enríquez and Rafa Garrido, Carlos Puga sitting in front of the back four, and Daniel Lorenzo, Carlos Dotor, Adam Aznou and David Larrubia supporting Adrián Niño. Chupete, Juan Berrocal, Jens Cajuste, Rafa Rodríguez and José Salinas came on during the second half.

Alavés drop out of a run of defeats, but only to a draw

Before this, Alavés had lost four of their previous five league games — to Racing Santander, Valencia, Atlético Madrid and Celta Vigo, with a single draw against Athletic Club in between. A point is an improvement on that run, even if conceding a 44th-minute goal at home to the bottom club was not the afternoon Alavés would have wanted.

What's next

The point takes Alavés to 12 points, up to 7th in LaLiga, just outside the Conference League play-off place. Málaga move to five points and remain bottom of the table, still without a win in ten league matches this season.