Malaga coach Pelligrini praises team for 'staying focused' in tough times

Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini praised his players for keeping their focus through a turbulent period for the Qatari-owned club after they eliminated Porto to advance to the Champions League last eight on their debut in the competition.

Malaga's long-suffering fans have endured a roller-coaster ride since Sheikh Abdullah al-Thani, a member of the Qatar royal family, bought the Costa del Sol club in 2010 after they narrowly avoided relegation.

Hefty investment in players and the hiring of former Real Madrid and Villarreal coach Pellegrini yielded a top-four finish last term and a place in Europe's elite club competition.

But things apparently began to unravel over the summer and while rumours al-Thani was looking to bail out went unanswered, top players like Santi Cazorla were sold off to raise cash.

Al-Thani's lieutenant eventually announced Malaga were undergoing an "internal restructuring" to bring them into line with Uefa's Financial Fair Play rules. Debts to players, staff and other clubs began to be settled and a measure of calm returned.

The season began in mid-August and Pellegrini and his squad showed they were not distracted by institutional woes with a series of impressive performances that lifted them to first place in Champions League group C ahead of AC Milan.