Calatrava Hat-Trick Stuns Málaga as Castellón Edge Five-Goal Thriller

Álex Calatrava produced a match-winning hat-trick as CD Castellón overturned an early deficit to beat Málaga CF 3–2 in a dramatic Segunda División clash on matchday 37.

Málaga struck first after just 12 minutes. Chupete converted from the penalty spot to give the hosts the ideal start, putting them 1–0 up and briefly lifting the home side’s hopes of a crucial late-season victory.

Segunda División FINISHED

2026-04-25 19:00

Málaga CF

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CD Castellón

Matchday 37 REGULAR_SEASON

Castellón responded on 27 minutes. Calatrava levelled the match at 1–1, finishing a move created by Brian Cipenga, who provided the assist. That goal shifted the momentum before the break and hinted at what was to come in the second half.

After the interval, Castellón’s substitutions added fresh impetus. Ronaldo replaced Ousmane Camara at half-time, and Awer Mabil came on in the 67th minute, just before Castellón went in front. One minute later, in the 68th minute, Calatrava struck again, once more combining with Cipenga to make it 2–1 to the visitors.

Castellón extended their advantage in the 76th minute when Calatrava completed his hat-trick. This time Ronaldo supplied the assist, and the visitors appeared to be in full control at 3–1.

Málaga refused to fold and found a lifeline in the 85th minute. Chupete reduced the deficit to 3–2 with his second goal of the night, finishing from a pass by Carlos Dotor. Despite late attacking changes, including the introductions of Julen Lobete, Haitam Abaida and Eneko Jauregi Escobar, the hosts could not find an equaliser.

The match also featured several bookings, including yellow cards for Dotor and Lobete for Málaga, and cautions for Agustín Sienra, Ronaldo, Martin Conde and Fabrizio Brignani for Castellón. No additional detailed statistics beyond goals, substitutions and bookings were available at the time of reporting.

The result gives Castellón a valuable away win in the closing stretch of the regular season, while Málaga are left to rue a missed opportunity after taking an early lead. Full match details can be found on Ballaxy.

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Segunda División Standings

Season: 2025/26

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1	Real Racing Club de Santander	38	22	6	10	79	57	22	72	W D W W L
2	UD Almería	38	21	7	10	78	58	20	70	W W W L W
3	RC Deportivo La Coruña	38	19	11	8	59	41	18	68	W D W D D
4	UD Las Palmas	38	18	12	8	51	32	19	66	W W W L W
5	CD Castellón	38	18	10	10	65	48	17	64	L W W D W
6	Málaga CF	38	18	9	11	66	49	17	63	W L L W D
7	Burgos CF	38	17	11	10	44	33	11	62	D D L W W
8	SD Eibar	38	17	10	11	47	36	11	61	L W W D W
9	Córdoba CF	38	16	9	13	54	56	-2	57	W W W W W
10	Andorra CF	38	15	10	13	56	48	8	55	L W W W W
11	AD Ceuta FC	38	15	9	14	46	58	-12	54	W D D D L
12	Real Sporting de Gijón	38	15	7	16	51	49	2	52	L L W L W
13	Albacete Balompié	38	13	11	14	49	51	-2	50	W L W L L
14	Granada CF	38	12	12	14	48	49	-1	48	W L L W L
15	Real Valladolid CF	38	11	10	17	41	50	-9	43	L W L D L
16	CD Leganés	38	10	12	16	41	46	-5	42	L L L W L
17	Real Sociedad B	38	11	9	18	46	54	-8	42	D L L D L
18	Cádiz CF	38	10	9	19	36	55	-19	39	D L L L L
19	SD Huesca	38	9	9	20	39	59	-20	36	L W L D L
20	CD Mirandés	38	9	9	20	42	64	-22	36	L W L D W
21	Real Zaragoza	38	8	11	19	33	51	-18	35	L L D L L
22	Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa	38	8	9	21	35	62	-27	33	D L L L W