Málaga CF

Málaga CF stand 180 minutes, perhaps 210, from a return to La Liga. That sentence alone would have sounded absurd in December, when Juanfran Funes inherited a team sliding toward the Segunda Federación. Now they face Las Palmas on Sunday night in the first leg of a play-off semi-final, fourth place secured with 73 points and a plus-23 goal difference, and the prize is no longer a distant dream. This is not hyperbole.…