MATCH REPORT: MALAGA 1 BARCELONA 3

Barcelona gave a true demonstraton of their skillful passing proficiency to defeat a plucky Malaga, with Messi instrumental in all three goals, supported by Iniesta, Cesc and Busquets.

Read our blow by blow report on this game below.  Feel free to join the lively debate with your friends, by tweeting, messaging and retweeting. Or, post your comments below in our comment box.

Live Streaming Report: Malaga CF  1 FC Barcelona 3

Rosaleda Stadium, Malaga, 2100 Sunday 13th January 2013. By guest reporter/blogger:  James Bogie.

Pre-match comments and forecast, by our expert

A test of Malaga’s mettle against the runaway leaders of La Liga first division. Any hopes Real Madrid may have of catching the azulgranas may rest on the shoulders of Pelligrini’s side to peg back a point or three at La Rosaleda tonight.  Malaga are keen to maintain their UEFA place by finishing in the top 4 this season, but do not harbour genuine hopes of catching Barcelona for the title unfortunately.  Barcelona are masters at coming away from these matches with resounding victories however. David Villa looked sharp againts Cordoba in the Copa del Rey in midweek (unlike Alexis Sanchez) and is my tip to return to the starting line-up: he looks fully recovered now and has already scored 10 goals in only 11 matches.  Malaga will need to grab a goal or two in the first half, it is hard to see Barcelona failing to score a few, I think they will prove just too strong for Pelligrini’s team.

Minute by Minute report: Malaga 1 Barcelona 3

So will enjoy my last night on Costa del Sol. All the best, twitterlings…James

I have been invited to dinner with cocktails later tonight in a Malaga restaurant, with VIP nightcub entry.

Thanks to all who retweeted and sent messages during the match.

For tickets for all Spanish Liga matches including #elclasicotickets check http://www.spanishkicks.com

A fantastic match, dominated by Barcelona. I hope you have enjoyed this Spanish Kicks twitcast.

FULL TIME: Malaga 1 – Barcelona 3. Barcelona 18 points clear of Real Madrid.

Sanchez receives a great ball from Thiago, rounds the keeper, but misses. It’s full time
Expand

89′ Malaga 1 – Barcelona 3.

He’ll drive back to Marbella tonight a slightly happer man..

GOAL MALAGA. Buonante scores a quality curling free kick from just outside the box. Manny Pelligrini jumpos up on the bench

82′ Meanwhile a series of Iniesta back-heelers leaves everyone bewildered. Including Iniesta.

Vilanova takes the record for best ever start to a season in Spain-

Malaga 0 Barcelona 3, a lovely combination of Thiago and Messi. Thiago strokes it past Caballero—-

GOAL BARCELONA Thiago

Barca moving towards the Malaga goal at will..a third looks likely

77′ Sanchez comes on for Pedro

Tweeting out to Jimmy Henderson’s stag do in Barcelona tonight, they are on a bar crawl down las Ramblas

75′ Mazy dribble by Iniesta leaves Messi a half chance it’s a corner

Malaga have not created one clear chance on Barcelona’s goal

Bad corner, Malaga have the ball. This will be Malaga’s fist home defeat of the season

72` Corner to Barca. Cesc is off Thiago comes on.

Yellow card for Busquets, but that’s hardly news

with Messi well placed at the post

FCB still moving forward, Dani Alves hits his trademark long cross, straight over the by line

Barcelona are now bearing down on Malaga`s goal with regularity

No doubt checking out De Gea’s performance as he may take over from Victor Valdez next season if Barcelona sign him

I was in a bar full of blaugranas after lunch watching the Man Utd Liverpool match

Malaga is a great city, a spunky place, the Malgueños never let you down, the fans are marvellous

Near thing from Messi looking for his third hat trick on the trot against Malaga in La Liga

the more they push up looking for an equaliser the more Barca have space to run into

Malaga are caught in the Barcelona trap.

An exhibition now from Barça in La Rosaleda, enjoying the night, Malaga need some inspiration

Barca are stroking it around, with silky skills by Busquets.

It appears Barcelona will move 18 points head of Real Madrid. a record goal tally by any Spanish team at the half-way point

Malaga 0 – Barcelona 2

49′ GOAL – Messi splits the Malaga defence with a trademark curling pass and Cesc lofts it over Caballero

That was not a good decision by the Basque referee and the Barca fans are booing

Back heel from Busquets puts Iniesta through, but Pedro is offside

Second half begins, with no changes to the first half line-ups

And we all wish the kiwis a successful Brazil campaign

Strange to think that only one of those three still play football in international representative terms

Scotland were also in the same group

New Zealand and the soviet union provided some thrilling football during that qualifying stage

This stadium was the historic site of much drama during the Spanish World Cup in 1982

The Malaga fans next to me seem philosophical, perhaps lost, as I have been, in 1982. #barcaleaguechampions

Tweet-greetings to Alison and Natalia offering pole dancing for groups in Barcelona…Pique might be up for it

I loved their accents – Ayrshire mainly – and the fast that many have caps for Scotland

I spent yesterday chatting with some of the regulars of the bars along the coast, fascinating raconteurs some of them

they really get it down their necks along the coast here in Costa del Sol

As well as fried anchovies and Cruzcampo, the locals here love their drinks

HALF TIME: Malaga 0 – Barcelona 1

The Malaga fans are still chanting to my left, but resigned to their boquerones sandwich at half time one down

41′ another good build up by Malaga, Valdez gathers a weak shot from Isco

and scored hatricks in both league matches against Malaga

last year The Flea he was not even content with a couple of Number 2’s

unfortunatley Messsi will be only too keen to visit the Gents tonight ..

He currently leads the Liga in the Zamora Prize  – the Spanish golden glove (fewest goals conceded by any keeper in a season),

Malaga’s keeper is Argentinian Willy Caballero. a true Gentleman.

The Malaga fans would like to believe their side can come back into this…

Possible handball by Pique from an Eliseu cross on the left…then Malaga get close with a header from Saviola

To their credit, Malaga look lean and hungry. Having not been paid for a few months..

34′ Malaga look dangerous in Barcelona’s box, but Pique gets the ball away showing typical possession skills

Both matches last year ended 4-1 to Barcelona, and Messi scored hat-tricks in both….

32′ Possession stats so far: Barcelona 67%, Malaga 33%

Barca are still running the match, Malaga’s danger men are being deprived of the ball

Reminiscent of the Hansen- Miller blunder here in 1982, same part of the pitch

Iniesta collected the ball from a blunder by two Malaga defenders, just inside the Malaga half

Iniesta get the ball throuh to Messi who sells Callero a dummy and slots it in

27`GOL by Messi 0 – 1 after a mistake by the Malaga defence

Iniesta connects with a cross from Cesc on the left, but hits it straight to teh mALAGA GOALKEEPER

Barsa on the attack, Fabregas tries to place a curler past Caballero, which ends narrowly over the top

27′ An intense match. Ref Delgado Ferreiro has to take a firm grip

Hello to Barney in Sheffield, he bought football tickets for a stag do in madrid last may. #spanishfootballtickets #elclasicotickets

Alves has gone down with an ankle knock

So he has clearly spotted a chink in their armour…

Pelligrini was quoted in the papers this mornings saying “Barcelona will probably lose one day this season…

17′ Barsa are in control of the match. looking for the way through the Malaga defence

v The quaffers of hangover-inducing sweet wine…

It’s the pork sausage butifarra consumers from semi-autonomous Catalonia

Someone has texted me to ask about shark fishing on the Algarve, we’ll talk about that later. Danny Alves has the ball

Barsa are kicking towards Torremolinos.

12′ Good run down the left by Eliseu, Malaga wil try to use pace to beat Barcelona

Barcelona in control of the ball, and buiding up from the left with Iniesta

The Malga fans are still jumping up and down

Which is mopped up by Weligton

9′ Iniesta floats it across to the back post and Malaga concede a corner

Barcelona on the attck

Caballero foiled Messi, his fellow Argentine

Near thing for Messi right inside Malaga box, it’s a corner

4′ Barcelona in control of the ball

A sprightly opening from Malaga, Joaquin taking it to them

Kick Off: Malaga 0 Barcelona 0

Ted Bundy ?

Does Mou have a dog ? What will it be called ?

His dog is called “Messi” apparently

For me Golden Boy Isco is the man to watch for Malaga

The game is about to begin, Malaga to kick off

If Adriano and Mascherano was playing for Barcelona, the Joaquin-Isco-Saviola combo might wreak havoc. But they arent.

linking with Saviola

Up front Eliseu on the left, Isco, and Joaquin, a man for the big occasion.

two men playing in front of their backs: Oturra and Ignacio Camacho,

Here’s the rest of the Malaga team

one of the few words not misspelt on this Twitcast

There must be a question mark over the pace and cohesion of Weligton. “Weligton” is not a spelling mistake.,

Laga Team: Caballero, Monteal, Wellington, Demichelis and Sergio Sanches at the back.

The teams are on the pitch

Pelligrono has named the folowing line up;

there it is now

Forgot the hashtag:  #whichEnglishclubwillGuardiolasignfor

Tito is just back from a 2-hour coffee with Pep G in a 5th Avenue hotel- Let’s hope he keeps schtum about which English club will Guardiola sign for

With Cesc, Busquets, Xavi Iniesta, Pedro and Messi in midfield and attack. That must be their strongest line

Tito Vilanova has chosen Valdes, Alba, Puyol, Pique, Alves at the back

Here are the teams

A mean cheese soufflée and fillet steak, he has tweeted to wish Malaga all the best.

We’ve receied a message from Robbie, a well known Aussie restaurateur in The Estepona area “The Yellow Book”

but Ibra proved just a few weeks ago in front of 40,000 swedes that he can take it from behind…

insinuating some something homoerotic between Pique and Ibrahimovitch..That photo 2 years go…

That was when the Barca contingent appeared to realise they may have been taunting Pique…

then “Boys Boys Boys” (Sabrina) then “So Macho” (no idea who sang that)

under the din from the Barsa away support I hear India by Psychedelic Furs,

Both sets of supporters chanted “Mou Mou. Stay stay!” before the match, but the PA people started playing music.

Barcelona’s colourful travelling supporting is banked away to my left, non-stop chanting since the gates opened (and before)

a lovely temperature for football

This is James Bogie at the Rosaleda Stadium Malaga, I’ll be tweeting as it happens comments on this match, which begins at 2100

Sunday: Malaga v Barcelona Tweetcast

Villa is out as he appears to have injury problems, Vilanova will be back on the bench.

Saturday: Many of the Catalan fans were completely ratassed, I think they are heading for the Chinese  in Fuengirola, then Borsellino Palace, Torremolinos

Both teams are resting, having a quiet meal tonight but you can feel the atmosphere building around the city…it is going to be exciting

I’d like to thank SpanishKicks for getting me mine, and bringing me here to commentweet –  pity the hotel is not very good though

The game is a sell-out and Barcelona fans are trying to buy tickets

There is a large contingent of Barcelona away supporters already camped on the centre of malaga: a real Fiesta Blaugrana!

Malaga take on Barcelona tomorrow night (Sunday) at 2100 Cet. You can follow our live streaming commentary here on twitter.
Follow @SpanishKicks

Saturday Build – up:  Malaga v Barcelona