There was no pain in Spain for under-fire Leeds boss Terry Venables as his players dug in to grind out a 0-0 draw against tough La Liga opposition in the first leg of their third round UEFA Cup tie.

Venables and his under-performing team have been put through the wringer in recent weeks, coming under fire for a number of inept displays which have belied the talent in the team.

But against Malaga, Leeds dug deep into their reserves of spirit Venables has long cited exists within the squad to produce a defiant goalless draw in the first leg of their third-round tie at the Estadio La Rosaleda.

In terms of preparation for such a vital European tie key to the club's finances, given they are £60million in debt, the situation could not have been much worse for Venables and Leeds.

With the game on the eve of the Annual General Meeting at which Peter Ridsdale is up for re-election - although it is widely anticipated he will be returned to office - the timing was also far from inappropriate.

As for form, Leeds had won just one of their previous nine Premier League matches, an abysmal run leaving them just four points off the relegation zone and with Venables under increasing attack from supporters who want him out.

Away from the enflamed passions of those fans, Venables could have been excused for feeling more at home in Spain following his three-year reign with Barcelona during the mid-1980s.

Venables also retains a villa in Javier, situated between Alicante and Valencia, a venue for talks with Ridsdale during the summer which led to his July appointment, one he claims he has no regrets in taking despite the pressure he is currently under.

The injury problems are also well documented, although Venables has refused to make them an excuse for his side's performances, but again a virtually full-strength team had been left back home in Yorkshire.

Sidelined were Mark Viduka, Danny Mills, Dominic Matteo, Olivier Dacourt and Lucas Radebe, with Robbie Fowler and Seth Johnson still not fit after their injury problems, while Teddy Lucic and James Milner were ineligible, the latter for being too young.

It gave Michael Duberry only his second start this season, with the centre back having also played in the 4-1 second round second-leg victory over Hapoel Tel-Aviv in Florence.

It was Duberry and Jonathan Woodgate who combined in the opening five minutes as Malaga unsurprisingly started off on the front foot by launching three incisive raids during that period which foundered on the heart of what was a superb Leeds defence.

That clearly settled any early nerves Leeds may have had, particularly after their inept first-half display in the 2-0 defeat at Spurs on Sunday for they then attacked with purpose and should have grabbed the opener as Malaga were put under pressure.

In the ninth minute a mistake on the edge of his own area by Fernando Sanz left Harry Kewell with only Pedro Contreras to beat, but the Australian's attempted chip from 16 yards was woeful as the Spain international keeper comfortably collected.

When Leeds again broke with Jason Wilcox feeding a through-ball into Smith, it appeared odds-on the man who destroyed Hapoel a fortnight ago with his four-goal haul would add to his tally, only for his powerful drive to rebound off the legs of Contreras.

Confidence was clearly growing, with Wilcox and Kewell then combining down the left, the latter flashing in a cross through the six-yard box which unfortunately had too much pace on it for an arriving Smith at the far post.

Smith then needlessly became embroiled in a war of words after a shoving match had followed a Woodgate foul on Romero which probably caught the attention of Italian referee Alfredo Trentalange.

Soon after, with Smith brought down by Romero, he earned a 32nd-minute caution for stupidly pushing over the Uruguayan midfielder and then when he lunged in for a 50-50 ball outside the Malaga area four minutes later there must have been consternation on the Leeds bench.

But fortunately there was no contact, and although Contreras went to ground holding his leg and a baying crowd demanded Smith's dismissal, Trentalange called it correctly for he must have spotted the keeper simply fell awkwardly.

After one-time Newcastle target Kiki Musampa then blazed over, Kewell had another chance immediately before the break, only for Contreras to fist away an angled drive after again being set up by Wilcox.

Paul Robinson, barely tested in the first half, made his one meaningful save of the game just two minutes after the break when a mis-hit shot from Dely Valdes forced him into a fine full-stretch stop.

Although Leeds failed to muster the opportunities they enjoyed in the first half, and despite a late rally from the home side who have struggled in front of the net as it is now just three goals in the last seven matches, Leeds finally ended their losing run in Spain.

After four consecutive defeats on Spanish soil, to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Deportivo La Coruna and Valencia by a combined aggregate of 12-2, the rot was bravely stopped.

Teams

Malaga: Contreras, Roteta, Fernando Sanz, Valcarce, Romero, Josemi, Iznata (Edgar 62), Manu (Koke 62), Sandro, Musampa, Dely Valdes.

Subs Not Used: Rafa, Rojas, Litos, Miguel Angel, Leko.

Leeds: Robinson, Kelly, Duberry, Woodgate, Harte, Bowyer, Bakke, McPhail, Wilcox, Smith, Kewell.

Subs Not Used: Martyn, Bridges, Okon, Burns, Richardson, Kilgallon.

Booked: Smith.

Att: 35,000