News
SUN 23.04.2017
Angel Villacampa's charges simply could not afford to falter in their bid to retake the initiative in a tantalisingly poised Liga Iberdrola title race. Las Rojiblancas duly delivered, demonstrating that they will fight to the bitter end to be crowned champions.
Atletico had already fired several warning shots before Esther Gonzalez broke the deadlock in the 27th minute, curling home after some sterling interplay.
The floodgates had been opened, but it was not until the second half that further goals followed, Esther striking again before Sonia Bermudez bagged a double of her own and Bea Beltran rounded off the rout. Although she failed to find the net, Priscila Borja was highly influential for a Colchoneras side who kept their eye on the ball and took care of business with aplomb.
The Andalusians defeated one of the division's form teams to earn their first win in six. Beita Parra's solitary strike was enough to sink La Real, who went into the encounter brimming with confidence after having strung together six straight victories. The midfielder picked up the ball just outside the box, looked up and, on spotting Maria Asuncion Quiñones off her line, conjured up a delightful chip that left the Basque goalkeeper grasping at thin air. It was a goal worthy of deciding any match and that is exactly what it did.
F. Albacete 0-2 RCD Espanyol
An even longer winless run ended in Albacete, where Espanyol captured maximum points for the first time in over a dozen matchdays. In what was a must-win fixture for the two relegation rivals, efforts from Eli del Estal and Paloma Fernandez sealed the spoils for Las Pericas, whom the result lifted above their beaten opponents and out of the drop zone.
Another team to get back to winning ways over the weekend were Sporting Huelva, who eased to victory courtesy of Cristina Martin-Prieto's early opener and Ana Belen Hernandez's brace of penalties. With both sides safe and all but out of Copa de la Reina contention, it is all about pride and finishing as high up the table as possible for them at this stage, and this triumph brought the hosts to within one point of 10th-placed Zaragoza.
UD Tacuense 0-2 Rayo Vallecano
Rayo tightened their grip on a Copa de la Reina spot with a comfortable run-out on their trip to Tenerife. Goals from Amaia Mendioroz just after the quarter-of-an-hour mark and Laura Dominguez in the second half propelled the Madrilenians up to seventh, two points clear of Real Sociedad and with a seven-point cushion over ninth-placed Santa Teresa. Tacuense, for their part, remain rock-bottom and look doomed for the drop.
Oiartzun KE 1-0 Granadilla Egatesa
The Basques took a major step towards securing their top-flight status for another season with this vital win over Granadilla. Ane Perez notched the only goal of the game in the 34th minute to move Oiartzun on to 17 points and put some daylight between them and the relegation zone. The visitors, meanwhile, stay sixth and, barring an amazing turn of events, are a shoo-in for Copa de la Reina qualification.
Valencia CF 6-0 Levante UD
Las Che claimed the spoils and the local bragging rights, but Spanish women's football was the real winner, with more than 17,000 people turning out to watch this showdown on the big stage at Mestalla.
The atmosphere was befitting of a local derby, with the fans tirelessly cheering on their respective teams. To add to what was already a historic occasion, an aerial camera was used for the first time in a women's match in Spain, enabling the six goals – scored by Yanara Aedo (2), Carolina Ferez, Mari Paz Vilas, Estefania Banini and Marta Peiro – to be admired in all their glory from a different angle.
Athletic Club 0-4 FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona bounced back from their European disappointment in brilliant fashion, thumping an Athletic Club team who gave it their best shot, but did not have luck on their side and proved powerless to stop the Catalan onslaught. Hat-trick hero Jenni Hermoso was the undoubted star of the show, while Olga Garcia added extra gloss to the scoreline with a stunning stoppage-time free-kick as Las Azulgranas stormed back to the top of the table.
Follow all the latest news from the Liga Iberdrola here.
© LALIGA - 2017