Manuel Pellegrini conceded that Malaga did not play to their best in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Porto, but believes that the tie can be rescued.
The Andalucians return to Spain with the defeat and without an away goal in this Champions League Last 16 clash, decided by Joao Moutinho’s second-half goal.
“We’re not particularly pleased with our performance, as we didn’t play well at all, particularly on the attack,” Chilean Pellegrini told his post-match Press conference.
“Despite Porto’s dominance of the match, they didn’t really cause a lot of trouble for Willy Caballero, and I think that their goal was actually offside.
“If we return to our usual style of play, I think we can turn things around at home.
“Porto kept the pressure on us and prevented us maintaining control of the ball for the entire 90 minutes, although our game play was not at all clear.
“Porto played well, but it wasn’t our night at all. We work as a team and I don’t like to analyse individual performances.
“We played well in defence, and despite their control of the match, Porto didn’t really create too much danger in our goal area. I think we’re capable of getting a good result in the return leg at home.
“They marked our strikers well and put on a powerful performance. Porto have a top-level defence.
“Porto are a great team with some fantastic players, as they showed tonight. Even though they were in control of possession, they didn’t really create too many goal opportunities.
“By improving our control and possession of the ball, it’s perfectly feasible that we can return to winning ways at home.”
