Match report: Malaga CF v Albacete Balompie

The main reason I went to Malaga was the opportunity to watch the football team my friend Jim supports. Malaga CF play in Liga Segunda - the Spanish second division - in a stadium that was rebuilt for the 1982 World Cup, La Rosaleda. (Scotland played their 1982 World Cup games there.)

I'd not been to a game in Spain before and I'm pleased I made my Spanish matchgoing debut at an authentic lower league club in a ground with a bit of history. Although saying it like that does make me sound a bit soccer hipster!

Malaga's opponents were Albacete Balompie. I'd not heard of them before. They are from Albacete and Balompie is another word for football (bal-om-pie, ball with feet). I think balompie is my new favourite alternative word for soccer. 

We had seen La Rosaleda in the distance when we climbed up to Gibralfaro Castle the day before. It was a short walk from the city centre along the heavily canalised river and we got a good view of the stadium as we approached.

We had plenty of time to get to the game as it was a 9pm kick off. One of Jim's friends, Salva, is a die-hard fan so we met him before the game and went to greet the team bus as it arrived at the stadium. That also gave me an opportunity to buy a scarf at one of the merch stalls set up opposite the ground. 

I decided not to buy the Jesus scarf.

There was a protest by the ultras just before the game started. Some ultras dressed as cartoon burglars scurried about the ultras terrace representing corrupt referees "stealing" points from Malaga. We were sat next to the ultras section so we had a good view of their antics.

They were soon back to their normal boisterous support.

As mentioned, this was my first game in Spain and it really was a cracking match. Rapid end to end play with pacey strikers pouncing on defensive errors, midfielders dribbling the ball forwards from box to box, and nobody given much time to dwell on the ball.

My only disappointment from the game was not getting a close up encounter with Súper Boke - the Malaga mascot. At half time he was in a penalty shoot out down the other end of the pitch. 

Given the pre-match protest, the ref did OK in a very hostile situation. But he did bottle one decision when he should have given a second yellow card to an Albacete player who had just been booked and then scythed down another opponent almost immediately. The manager hastily subbed him while the ref dithered and that kept the game 11 a side. 

The only goal was a magnificent screamer into the top corner early in the second half. Like the half time mascot penalties, it was down the far end from where we sat. The stands had already been buzzing but they got a bit buzzier after the goal. 

Albacete almost equalised when a Malaga defender sent his keeper scrambling to retrieve the ball before it crossed the line, and also from a free kick on tbe edge of the box in the fourth and final minute of added on time.

But the home side held on and it was a very happy crowd that headed out into the chilly Malaga night. 

Post-script

I got a Futbology badge for seeing a game in a new country, and my map of European grounds I've visited now has an outlier!

4 days in Malaga

I was very fortunate to go on a long weekend to Malaga, with my (almost lifelong) friend, Jim, who used to live there and so knew how to find the real city that many tourists miss. 

It felt like we went on the opposite of a 'lads weekend' because we actively avoided the tourist trap bars full of other holidaymakers. Our main focus was going to watch Malaga FC play a home game. We booked some extra days either side of matchday just in case the game time changed - and then it got scheduled for late on the Sunday evening. 

So we did some tourism stuff. The extra days gave us time for plenty of sightseeing and tapas. One of the main sights to see in Malaga is the Alcazaba Castle. We then climbed the hill behind Alcazaba to the Gibralfaro Castle on the top. The views across the city were incredible. 

We could see the football ground in the distance too!

We saw the beach

And the lighthouse in the port

Went to the Picasso Museum

And the Cathedral

Had delicious seco at Picasso's favourite bar, which serves fortified wine from barrels and has authentic sticky floors

Had churros at Casa Aranda

Were entertained by chatterbox parakeets in the park. They were in raucous nest-building mode.

The parakeets avoided the free-range cactus

And most of all just enjoyed walking round and discovering stuff!

I've got to say a big thank you to Jim for being such a great guide, sorting out so much of the travel admin, and being a patient translator when I asked him what some random words meant! Both of us felt sad when the trip drew to a close and we had to head out to the airport. At least we got to ride on a train before getting on a plane!

First time in Spain - exploring Valencia

I was fortunate enough to travel to a conference being held in Valencia this week. It sounds glamorous but I spent most of the days I was there either in the conference rooms (no windows) or in my hotel checking work emails (at least I had windows).

Nice hotel though, right next to the conference centre

When I was working in my room the view wasn't bad

We mainly got to see Valencia by night, so I don't have any good photos of the architecture. This is the city hall.

And this is the North train station. Not bad for a train station.

After floods in the 70s they diverted the river around the city and turned the river bed into a huge sunken park. Whoever thought of that was a visionary. The old bridges still cross the park.

In the park you can walk under the bridges.

There's lots to see in the park and at the South end are some amazing buildings.

They don't miss an opportunity for some art - this big purple sculpture was on a roundabout.

The front of this building was covered in traffic cones.

This is one of the metro stations., I thought it was rather lovely.

There's lots of graffiti on the streets as well. Someone likes drawing these cute ninja dudes. They pop up everywhere.

Valencia is famous for its paella. They sell paella pans on the street alongside other souvenirs.

Paella goes nicely with cerveza. This is Valencia IPA (VIPA). It has a peachy aroma and tastes lovely.

It was a brief visit, made all the more brief by having to work at the conference. But I really like Valencia and I definitely want to go back.