Málaga and Deportivo de La Coruña shared the points in a 1-1 draw at La Rosaleda on Monday, the two clubs' first La Liga meeting since April 2018 and a fixture that doubled as a reunion of two of Spanish football's fallen giants, both freshly restored to the top flight.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave the visitors the perfect start, latching onto a pass from Luismi Cruz, ghosting past goalkeeper Leo Román and finishing calmly to open the scoring. It was the Gabonese forward's second goal in as many league games since joining Deportivo from Marseille in July on a contract to 2028 — early proof that his return to Spanish football, six years after leaving Barcelona, has lost none of its sharpness.
Málaga levelled from the penalty spot before the half-hour mark after Deportivo defender Noubi was penalised for a foul on Rafita inside the box. Carlos 'Chupete' Ruiz stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, sparking wild celebrations at La Rosaleda, where actor and lifelong Málaga fan Antonio Banderas was reportedly among the crowd.
Chupete almost turned from provider of the equaliser to matchwinner in the second half, rising unmarked to meet a cross with a header that beat the goalkeeper only to crash back off the crossbar — denying the hosts what would have been a stirring win on their return to the top flight after eight years away.
The result gives Málaga their first point of the new season after two matches back among Spain's elite, having ended their exile in the lower divisions by beating Almería in the promotion play-off final over the summer. Deportivo, whose marquee capture of Aubameyang underlined their ambition after winning automatic promotion, continue to build form on their own return, four seasons after being relegated from La Liga in 2018.
Deportivo announced the Aubameyang signing in mid-July, closing out a peripatetic few years for the former Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Chelsea and Marseille striker, who scored 10 goals in Ligue 1 last season. His arrival was read in Galicia as a statement of intent from a club determined to make an immediate impact back in the Spanish top flight.
Monday's other second-round fixture also finished level, with Osasuna and Levante drawing 0-0 at El Sadar. Levante goalkeeper Maty Ryan was the standout performer with a string of saves, while Osasuna were left to rue a goal-line clearance by Issa Mandi that denied Ante Budimir what had looked a certain opener midway through the second half.
It leaves several of Monday's sides — Osasuna, Levante and Málaga among them — still searching for a first league win of the new campaign, even as two of Spanish football's most storied names begin to find their feet again in the top flight.
