Málaga were seconds from a result that would have changed the mood around the club, then Aitor Mañas scored in the 89th minute and turned a 1-0 lead into a 1-1 draw. Adrián Niño had put Málaga ahead before halftime, but the last-minute equalizer left them without a first win back in LaLiga.
The match was played in LaLiga EA Sports Jornada 10 on 23/10/2026 at 21:00 CEST, and the late swing was the reason readers were looking for this result now. Niño’s goal in the 44th minute was his fourth and came in his second start, a sharp finish to a first half Málaga had controlled long enough to believe the point total would finally shift.
What made the ending sting was that Málaga had survived more than one warning before the equalizer arrived. Alfonso Herrero produced an impressive save from a Toni header, and Lucas Boyé also hit the post for Alavés, but the pressure kept building until Mañas found the leveler. Once that happened, Málaga were no longer defending a win; they were trying to hold on to a draw they had not planned to settle for.
The result also deepened the arithmetic of the season. Málaga’s run without a win is now six league matches, and that single point is not enough to change the broader picture after a match in which they had led for most of the night. Alavés, under pressure at home, pushed late and escaped with a draw, while Málaga were left to reckon with how quickly a first victory can disappear.
For Málaga, the next test is not about style or promises. It is about whether a team that came within a minute of ending its wait can turn another lead into three points before the same frustration hardens into a pattern.
