Málaga beat Betis 2-0 at Huelva’s Estadio Antonio Toledo Sánchez and will play Sevilla in the Copa Andalucía semi-final on Wednesday the 12th at 21:00 on the same pitch. It is the second place in the round: the first went to Sporting de Huelva earlier in the day.
Both goals came from the same place. Seconds after the restart, in the 46th minute, Arantxa seized on a defensive error and beat the goalkeeper with a shot over her. In the 71st, Marina won the ball back inside the area after a mistake by the goalkeeper and finished for the second. In between there was a goalless first half, despite two Málaga chances.
Málaga never took their foot off
Héctor Díaz’s side kept looking for a third with the tie already won. Carmela went one-on-one in the 89th and did not take it, and in stoppage time Andrea Herrero beat two opponents before trying a chip that drifted wide. The only booking of the night was Herrero’s own, in the 18th minute.
What Málaga are playing for
Málaga are one of the two sides in this draw who have never won the competition — the other was Córdoba, knocked out earlier in the day — and they need two more wins to lift it. First in their way is a Liga F side, Sevilla, who entered straight into the semi-finals without playing this round.
Betis, with Marco Tamarit in the dugout, go out in their first match. The club had framed the tournament as part of their pre-season.
Both semi-finals are on Wednesday the 12th. The other is opened by Granada and Sporting de Huelva at 19:00, after a 5-1 win in the opening round. The final is on Sunday the 16th. The full route is set out in the competition bracket, and how each side arrived, in the Copa Andalucía guide.