Villarreal came from a goal down to beat Málaga 3-1 in their La Liga clash at La Rosaleda on Thursday, with Pape Gueye scoring twice to inspire the visitors to victory.
Málaga took an early lead in the 12th minute when Carlos Dotor finished from Juan Cruz’s cut-back after the hosts had won possession and worked the ball into the Villarreal area.
Villarreal gradually took control of the contest and were rewarded four minutes before half-time when Alberto Moleiro found the equaliser after combining with Ilias Akhomach.
The visitors completed the turnaround in first-half stoppage time as Gueye, who had come on for the injured Santi Comesaña in the 37th minute, fired Villarreal in front following a pass from Ayoze Pérez.
Málaga pushed forward after the restart in search of an equaliser, but Villarreal remained the more threatening side and created several opportunities to extend their advantage.
Their pressure eventually paid off in the 86th minute when goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero was booked for a foul inside the box, with Gueye stepping up to convert the resulting penalty and seal his side’s 3-1 victory.
Málaga struggled to create enough clear-cut opportunities after taking the lead, while Villarreal continued to threaten through Moleiro, Akhomach and Georges Mikautadze, who also struck the post after coming on as a substitute.
The result gives Villarreal an important away victory in the sixth round of the 2026/27 La Liga season, while Málaga will be left to rue their failure to protect their early advantage.
Gueye was the standout performer, completing his brace with the late penalty and helping Villarreal maintain control of the game after his introduction.
