Villarreal come from behind to beat Malaga 3-1 as Pape Gueye bags a brace

Villarreal picked up their first win of the LaLiga campaign on Sunday with a 3-1 comeback victory away to Malaga at La Rosaleda. Inigo Perez's team had been desperate for a result to ease the pressure after a difficult start, and they found it through their attacking quality. Dotor had put the hosts ahead early, but goals from Moleiro and a Pape Gueye double, the second from the penalty spot in the closing stages, turned the match around.

• Villarreal earn their first three points of the season with a 3-1 comeback win over Malaga at La Rosaleda.
• Pape Gueye comes off the bench to score twice and emerges as the standout performer.
• Moleiro levels before half-time after an assist from Ilias Akhomach.
• Malaga, who took the lead through Dotor, remain winless since returning to the top flight and stay on three points.
• Inigo Perez breathes a sigh of relief as his side end their winless run and begin to look up the table.

Villarreal bounce back from a rough start and respond at La Rosaleda

The Castellon outfit arrived in Malaga needing to turn around a slow opening to the season that did not match a squad built to fight for Champions League places. Inigo Perez was under pressure to deliver and his team responded in a difficult away setting, falling behind early but showing the personality required to take control as the game progressed.

La Rosaleda was loud and the home crowd had reasons for optimism. Malaga had rescued a point at Balaidos the previous Sunday, a result that lifted spirits around the club. Villarreal, however, grew into the contest and used the individual talent of their forward players to swing the match in their favour once the game opened up.

Dotor gives Malaga the lead as the home crowd dreams of a first win

Funes' side struck first. A move down the right from Juan Cruz ended with the ball played across the face of goal, where Dotor was waiting to finish with ease past Gulacsi. The goal sparked wild celebrations in the stands and suggested Malaga were closing in on their first three points in the top flight after eight long years away.

Villarreal did not take long to respond, though. Alfonso Herrero had to make a smart stop from a left-footed effort by Ilias Akhomach, the most involved visiting player during the opening period. The Moroccan winger was a constant threat on the right flank and became Villarreal's main creative outlet.

Moleiro draws Villarreal level just before the break

The pressure finally paid off in the 40th minute. Akhomach once again beat his man on the right and delivered a precise cross for Moleiro, who beat Herrero to make it 1-1 before the interval. It was a heavy blow for Malaga, who had controlled long spells but were beginning to suffer every time Villarreal broke forward.

Pape Gueye the unlikely hero with a brace and late penalty

Pape Gueye, introduced with the score at 1-0 following an injury to Comesana, changed the game after the restart. Two minutes into the second half, a fine piece of play from Ayoze set up the Senegalese midfielder, who slotted home to give Villarreal the lead. The move was quick and direct, exposing a home defence that was struggling in open space.

Malaga tried to react, but every counter-attack from the visitors looked dangerous. Izan Merino cleared one off the line with his goalkeeper already beaten and Mikautadze struck the post with another effort. The pressure told again late on when a foul by Herrero on Romero inside the box resulted in a penalty, and Gueye stepped up to complete his double and make it 3-1.

A win that lifts Villarreal and leaves Malaga in a worrying spot

The result is hugely valuable for Inigo Perez, whose project finally earns three points and moves up the table. Villarreal regain a sense of confidence that fits a team built to compete for European places, and this performance could serve as the turning point after a shaky beginning to the league season.

For Malaga, the outlook is increasingly difficult. The Andalusian club remain without a win since returning to the top division and sit on three points, just above Elche. The La Rosaleda faithful had hoped to celebrate a first home win in the top flight in almost a decade, but instead left with the feeling that the fight to stay up will demand much more from this team starting now.