Málaga made the ideal start when Dotor arrived on the edge of the box to finish Juan Cruz’s cut-back on 12 minutes. The sequence began with Ángel Recio winning the ball, progressed by Carlos Puga and David Larrubia, and ended with Cruz supplying the assist. Villarreal did not panic and quickly tilted the field, with Ilias Akhomach and Moleiro combining down the right. Their pressure told at 40 minutes when Moleiro guided in the equaliser from inside the area after Akhomach’s incisive work. First-half stoppage time brought the second: Ayoze Pérez fed Pape Gueye, who kept his shot low to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

The second half saw Málaga chase, but Villarreal continued to control territory and tempo. Substitutions added fresh legs, notably Gueye earlier on for the injured Santi Comesaña at 37 minutes, and later Carlos Romero and Georges Mikautadze for added thrust. A brief VAR check around 82 minutes added some late intrigue before the decisive moment arrived. Goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero was booked for a foul, and Gueye converted the resulting penalty in the 86th minute. From there, Villarreal managed the game smartly to close out a well-earned away win.

Team stats that told the story

Villarreal’s control was total across the metrics that matter in a LaLiga match report. Possession finished 63% to 37%, and shots were 16 to 5, with a 7 to 1 edge in shots on target. The expected goals split of 3.33 to 0.63 captures the chance quality gap, underlined by a 7 to 0 count in big chances created. The visitors also produced 40 touches in the penalty area to Málaga’s 8, showing where the game was played. Corners ended 8 to 4 for the Yellow Submarine, and they even clipped the woodwork once for good measure.

Passing control was another pillar: Villarreal attempted 600 passes to Málaga’s 346, completing 540 to 281. Final third entries stood at 81 to 30, and cross accuracy leaned Villarreal’s way at 6/19 compared to 1/12. Long balls were also cleaner for the visitors at 35/52 versus 18/43. Málaga did win more tackles, but they spent long stretches defending their box, leading to 26 clearances to Villarreal’s 13. When the pattern looks like this, 3-1 often feels about right.

Málaga CF’s effort without the finish

Málaga’s defensive commitment was plain, and some individual displays stood out. Recio posted a standout line with 33/34 passes, 3/3 tackles won, 7 recoveries and a goal-line clearance, earning him one of the day’s best home ratings. As a unit, Málaga won 26 tackles with an excellent 81% success rate and made 26 clearances. The problem was at the other end. Five total shots with only one on target and an xG of 0.63 rarely bring points in LaLiga.

Moments did arrive, especially early and in set-piece phases, but crossing accuracy at 1/12 hurt promising positions. The hosts actually edged ground duels 52%, yet struggled in the air at 27% won, which limited their out-balls. Disciplinary trouble did not help either, with five yellow cards, including Herrero’s late booking for the penalty foul. Off the bench, Dani Lorenzo (25/28 passes) and Rafa Garrido (two interceptions, two tackles won) added a dose of control and bite. Still, with touches in the Villarreal box at only eight, Málaga simply could not match the visitors’ threat after the opener.

Villarreal’s control from the back and between the lines

The platform came from the back four and the double pivot. Renato Veiga completed 81 of 91 passes, Sergi Cardona hit 72 of 79, and Alexander Freeman connected on 62 of 69, all while progressing play consistently. Final third entries at 81 and penalty-box touches at 40 reflected this steady supply. Nathan-Dylan Saliba quietly knitted it together with 39/43 passes and two tackles. Out wide, Akhomach supplied two key passes and a big chance, while Tajon Buchanan produced three key passes and a team-high expected assists figure of 0.63.

Further up, Moleiro mixed creativity with end product: one goal, two key passes and 46/54 passing, plus the second-most xG on the team. Mikautadze struck the post and fashioned a big chance after coming on, keeping Málaga stretched to the finish. Villarreal’s big chances reached seven and they still missed four of them, a nod to how dominant the chance creation was. On another day, the margin could have been wider. That said, this was a professional away performance wrapped in a clinical finishing display late on.

MVP: Pape Gueye

The decisive contribution came from Pape Gueye, who posted a Sofascore Rating of 8.9. Introduced in the 37th minute, he immediately gave Villarreal a more vertical, purposeful presence. He put his side ahead in first-half added time with a composed finish, then closed the game with an 86th-minute penalty. His shot profile matched the eye test, logging 1.11 expected goals and 1.17 expected goals on target from two attempts.

Gueye’s all-round game was equally tidy: 41 successful passes from 48, seven accurate long balls from 11 and 24 ball carries among 56 touches. He also added three recoveries and one interception while keeping midfield traffic moving into dangerous zones. In a match decided by control and quality in the final third, he supplied both. For context, Málaga’s Recio earned an 8.0 for a resolute defensive shift, and Moleiro hit 7.7 with a goal and creativity. This was still Gueye’s game.