Adrián Niño's 90+3' leveller rescues Málaga a 1-1 draw against Espanyol

Málaga needed almost the entire match to find a goal that had been coming since the opening whistle. Bryan Zaragoza put Espanyol ahead after 13 minutes at La Rosaleda, and the bottom side spent the rest of the night pushing for an equaliser that only arrived in the third minute of stoppage time, through substitute Adrián Niño. 1-1 was the final score, and it was close to the least Málaga deserved.

Zaragoza's goal came from one of Espanyol's rare forward moves of the half. From there, the visitors sat in and defended a lead that looked increasingly fragile as Málaga's possession and shot count both climbed. The home side's patience paid off deep into added time, when Niño got the touch that sent La Rosaleda into relief rather than celebration — a point salvaged, not a win secured.

Málaga won almost everything except the scoreline

For 77 minutes, the stat sheet and the scoreboard told two different stories. Málaga had 58.3% of the possession to Espanyol's 41.7%, out-shot their visitors 15 to 9 and put seven of those on target against four, with eight corners to Espanyol's two. None of it counted until Niño's goal, which is as good a summary as any of Málaga's season: creating, without converting, until the very end of it.

Match facts

• 13' — Bryan Zaragoza (Espanyol)
• 90+3' — Adrián Niño (Málaga)

Two sides still looking for a run of form

Neither club arrived at this one with any momentum. Málaga's last five results before kick-off read L D D L L, with only two goals scored and nine conceded across that stretch — a run that had left them bottom of the table without a win all season. Espanyol's own form was barely better: L D W L L in their last five, winless in four of those going into the weekend. A point apiece was, in context, a fair reflection of where both clubs stand right now.

What's next

The draw takes Málaga to 4 points from 8 games. They stay bottom of the table, now level on points with 19th-placed Valencia, and host Real Sociedad at La Rosaleda on Sunday 18 October. Espanyol move to 8 points and up to 11th, and are back at the RCDE Stadium against Atlético Madrid later this month.