Bernd Schuster was encouraged by what he saw from his Malaga team, who defeated Almeria 2-0 on Tuesday night.
Los Boquerones saw goals from Fernando Tissone and Francisco Portillo settle this Week 6 tie at La Rosaleda in their favour and leave their Coach upbeat.
“Almeria always play very good football and usually score in every match, however this is the first time they haven’t managed to get a goal,” reflected Schuster afterwards.
“They showed a good attacking display and created goal opportunities, but luck was on our side and we’re very pleased with this win.
“From a physical point of view Malaga are very fit, and have been since the start of the season, which is a great help in tough matches.
“You can tell when a rival team is beginning to tire, they lose rhythm on the pitch, whereas we always maintain a steady pace, which doesn’t alter when we make substitutions.
“Our fitness really helps us to keep the pressure on our rivals and maintain a balanced game play. Malaga are a strong squad, who have a lot of opportunities to get goals in every match.
“We scored our first goal from a set piece tonight, Portillo was very impressive throughout, and it’s crucial that we maintain a high level of confidence.
“If we do things right from the start and maintain a solid defence, the goal opportunities will always come.
“We were looking for that first goal from the kick-off, we were determined to score from a set piece and tonight we did it.
“Portillo put on a very high quality performance this evening, he’s a strong player, which is why he’s a regular in the line-up.
“He’s in great shape and forms a powerful partnership with Jesus Gamez on the wing. Not conceding goals in a match is always very positive.”
