Eibar continue to delight Ipurua faithful
The Armeros' fans responded to a dazzling display from their team, who brushed Málaga aside to secure survival
This Eibar team continues to endear itself to the Ipurua faithful, as the Armeros once again evidenced all of their cutting edge to put Málaga to the sword on a night when the hosts failed to create all that many chances. Not only does this triumph see Eibar all but guarantee their league status, it was also a fitting performance to mark the club's 100th outing in the Spanish top flight, with this sublime showing getting the locals up and off their feet.
Ten goals and nine points in their last three home fixtures has bolstered Eibar's pursuit of their main target of survival and José Luis Mendilibar's charges will now look to enjoy the rest of the campaign as they bid to continuing improving.
Tonight's victory was sealed within the space of a nine-minute spell between the 42nd and 51st minutes, in which Eibar struck three times en route to victory.
The opening period saw the control of the game swing one way and the other as both sides fought to claim the upper hand in the middle third, whilst Eibar looked to wreak havoc down the right flank.
On 42' Ander Capa threaded a fine pass through to Sergi Enrich, who bore down on Carlos Kameni, and instead of attempting to score himself, the Eibar striker squared the ball to the better-placed Adrián, who fired home despite the best efforts of the diving Cameroonian custodian. This was a real show of unselfishness from the Mallorca-born hitman, which saw him add another assist to his 10-goal haul.
With the second half barely underway, Pedro León latched onto a long ball over the top and burst into the area before being felled by Juankar, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Adrián stepped up and sent Kameni the wrong way with a left-footed strike to double the hosts' advantage.
The home faithful were still toasting their team's second of the night when Eibar put the game beyond the visitors' reach just two minutes later. An inviting Anaitz Arbilla cross from the left was spectacularly volleyed home by Enrich from inside the area.
This strike - his 10th of the campaign - sees the Eibar sharpshooter take his place amongst the division's top five marksmen and become the club's all-time leading goalscorer in Primera, all of which he has accomplished on the eve of his 27th birthday.
The remainder of the game was played out without incident, whilst the party began in the stands where the Eibar fans continue to look on in disbelief as their team sit in seventh spot on 38 points and continue to pleasantly surprise week after week.