AS.com

Málaga qualified for the Quarter Finals of the Copa del Rey after beating Segunda B side Eibar 4-1 at La Rosaleda to win 5-2 on aggregate, despite trailing in the tie until halfway through the second half.

Eibar were hoping for a repeat of their shock elimination of Athletic Bilbao in the previous round of the competition and took the lead in the first half after Arrojo tapped in a rebound when Málaga goalkeeper Kameni parried Errasti's shot.

The Basques dominated the first half against an unbalanced and off colour Málaga side who could only manage one shot in the opening 45 minutes.

The hosts did not improve much at the start of the second half, but Javier Saviola came closest to scoring when he struck the bar.

Coach Manuel Pellegrini replaced Iturra and Toulalan with Portillo and Demichelis to give his side more strength in midfield, but it had little immediate effect, with Eibar defending their lead well.

But Diego Buonanotte, who has been the subject of much transfer speculation this week, came to Málaga's rescue on the 74 minute when he equalised from the edge of the area, combining well with Sebastián Fernández.

The goal changed everything and moments later Buonanotte and Fernández linked up again, this time Fernández providing the finishing touch to give Málaga the lead.

Málaga were desperate for more goals and they got them thanks to a header by Portillo and a final strike from Buonanotte, who turned the suffering into a festival of goals.