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Malaga boss Javi Gracia: Goal against Sevilla 'should have been valid'

Malaga coach Javi Gracia felt his side were incorrectly denied what could have been a match-winning goal against Sevilla after seeing Charles' late strike ruled out for offside.

Summer signing Charles looked to have snatched the points for Malaga in the opening game of the new Primera Division season when he tucked home Juan Carlos' low cross with three minutes remaining.

However, Charles was adjudged to have been marginally offside and Malaga were forced to settle for a point against a Sevilla side that had been playing with a man less since the 69th-minute sending off of Steven N'Zonzi.

Gracia felt the officials had made a mistake, saying in his post-match press conference: "The goal we scored should have been valid. It's legal, he's in line."

Malaga had other chances to take the three points, with Charles missing a good opening in stoppage time, but despite not starting off with a win Gracia was pleased with his side's overall display.

He said: "Sevilla are a Champions League opponent and they are searching for that balance but we've had a fairly complete game.

"We've not scored any goals today and we've not conceded any, which you also have to take into account."

Two-time reigning Europa League champions Sevilla came into the fixture on the back of two high-scoring matches -- losing 5-4 to Barcelona in the UEFA Super Cup and 6-4 to Roma in a friendly -- and they had chances to get on the scoresheet themselves at La Rosaleda.

They could not make any of them count, though, leaving coach Unai Emery believing a draw was the right result.

He said: "We have to say that a draw is fair.

"There were some positive things and other things not so much.

"The two starts of each half were good, they were minutes where chances to win passed in front of us.

"We didn't take them and as time passed we lost control and they've got into our area without creating very clear chances, although they did get in there."

Sevilla's hopes of getting anything out of the Andalusian derby took a dive when N'Zonzi, a £5 million summer arrival from Stoke, was dismissed for a second booking on his La Liga debut.

Sevilla were plagued by red cards during both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns, but they improved their disciplinary record hugely last season with only three dismissals and Emery wants a repeat of that .

Emery said: "Last season we improved a lot when it came to controlling our emotional impulses, because to have a man less gives a big advantage to your opponent. We have to work at it again."

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