Liga F: Athletic edge past Atleti, Levante held to draw in derby
Athletic Club continued their impressive run of form with a 1-0 victory over Atlético Madrid on matchday 23 of the Liga F season. Meanwhile, Levante were held to a 1-1 draw in Sunday’s derby clash with local rivals Valencia.
Here, we will round up all the action from the weekend, including Barcelona’s commanding victory over Villarreal.
Real Sociedad 1-1 Sporting Club Huelva
Mirari Uria guided the ball home from a deep free-kick to give Real Sociedad an early lead in Saturday’s home fixture. Sociedad’s lead lasted until the 36th minute when Raiderlin Carrasco pulled her side level. The Venezuela international brought down Miku Kojima’s lofted pass before striking the ball into the bottom corner.
Both sides hit the woodwork in the second half, but a winner ultimately proved to be elusive. Huelva remain rooted to the bottom of the Liga F table, while Real Sociedad are in eighth spot.
Eibar 3-0 Sevilla
Eibar boosted their survival hopes with a dominant win over Sevilla. María Miralles made a crucial penalty save to deny Cristina Martín-Prieto in the 18th minute. Sevilla would rue her penalty miss when Eibar opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark.
After spotting Yolanda Aguirre off her line, Andrea Álvarez sent her long-range strike soaring over the Sevilla goalkeeper and into the net. Álvarez produced a sensational header to grab her second in the 76th minute. Aguirre then fumbled Annelie Leitner’s cross into the net to gift the hosts a third goal.
🙌🏻 @AA_Alvarez10, PONLA DONDE QUIERAS 🙌🏻
Es uno de los goles de la temporada en @LigaF_oficial, es una maravilla de golpeo de la delantera de la @SDEibar 😍😍😍#LigaFenDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/CDZGQSuG2s— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) April 13, 2024
Levante Las Planas 1-2 Real Betis
Betis moved out the relegation zone with a narrow win over Levante Las Planas. Ghizlane Chebbak picked out the bottom corner to put the hosts in front in the 40th minute. Leles pulled her side level in first half stoppage time, keeping her composure from the penalty spot to score her second goal of the Liga F season.
The visitors went on to complete the turnaround within four minutes of the restart. Tiffany Cameron latched onto Carolina Férez’s through pass to fire the ball past Nayluisa Cáceres. The win leaves Betis one point above the drop zone, while the hosts are one point better off in 13th place.
Barcelona 5-1 Villarreal
Claudia Pina found the net in the 33rd minute to give Barcelona a narrow lead at the break. Kayla McKenna tapped the ball home from close range to restore parity in the opening 10 minutes of the second period. However, Barça ultimately moved through the gears in the final half-hour to take the game away from Villarreal.
Fridolina Rolfö put the hosts back in front, before Alexia Putellas added a third from the penalty spot. Salma Paralluelo then scored an eight-minute brace to round off another dominant performance from the league leaders.
Athletic Club 1-0 Atlético Madrid
Athletic moved to within three points of the Liga F top three with a narrow win over Atlético Madrid. Clara Pinedo scored what proved to be the only goal of the game in the 17th minute. The 20-year-old guided the ball into the far corner after being teed up by Ane Azkona.
The Basque side stood firm for the remainder of the contest to claim a fifth consecutive league victory. In the Liga F table, Athletic are now just one point behind Atlético, who currently occupy fifth position.
🪄 ¡Lo hizo fácil, pero era muy difícil!
⚽️ ¡Gran remate de Clara Pinedo que adelanta al @AthleticClubFem!
📺 #LigaFenGol pic.twitter.com/lxB4gEH6QV— GOL PLAY (@Gol) April 14, 2024
Costa Adeje Tenerife 2-2 Madrid CFF
Madrid CFF had to come from behind on two occasions to take a point from Sunday’s away clash with Tenerife. Patri Gavira kept her composure from the penalty spot to open the scoring within three minutes of the first whistle. After being put on the back foot, the visitors issued a positive response on the half-hour mark. Brazilian forward Luany produced a sublime first-time finish to lift the ball over the stranded Noelia Ramos.
However, Madrid were only level for five minutes before Koko poked the ball in following a goalkeeping error from Paola Ulloa. The away side still managed to show great character to find another equaliser in the 66th minute. Lucía Pardo curled her free-kick around the wall and out of the reach of a despairing Ramos. The draw keeps Madrid in fourth spot and one point behind Levante, while Tenerife are left sitting in ninth position.
Valencia 1-1 Levante
Third-placed Levante had to settle for a point in Sunday’s derby against Valencia at Mestalla. Alba Redondo put the visitors in front with a superb 30th minute strike. The Spain international neatly worked the space to fire the ball in off the far post. However, Levante’s lead lasted just a matter of minutes before Anita Marcos gave the home faithful a goal to celebrate.
The 23-year-old slotted the ball home from close range to net her ninth league goal of the season. With neither side able to find a winner, they both had to settle for a share of the spoils. Valencia are now five points clear of danger with seven games left to play.
Real Madrid 5-0 Granada
Real Madrid made light work of Sunday’s home clash against relegation-threatened Granada. Linda Caicedo showcased her neat footwork to create the angle to slide her left-foot shot past Andrea Romero. The hosts quickly doubled their advantage thanks to an Alba Pérez own goal. Naomie Feller tapped in a third in the 53rd minute, before Signe Bruun sent her diving header into the bottom corner.
There was still plenty of time left for Teresa Abelleira to add her name to the scoresheet and round off a comfortable win. The second-placed side remain 12 points adrift of Barcelona, but are now 11 points clear of Levante in Liga F. As for Granada, they are languishing in the bottom two and one point adrift from safety.