Liga F roundup: Caroline Weir brace marks superb Real Madrid return

Caroline Weir marked her return to Liga F action with a standout display as Real Madrid enjoyed Friday’s 5-0 victory over newly promoted Espanyol. Like their arch rivals, Barcelona kicked off their campaign with a commanding win, largely thanks to a brace from summer signing Ewa Pajor.

As well as those two matches, we will round up all the action from the five other games that took place over the opening weekend of the 2024/25 Liga F season.

Espanyol 0-5 Real Madrid

Weir made an instant impact on her return from a long injury layoff. The Scotland international provided an assist for María Méndez to net her first goal for Las Blancas. Weir then put her own name on the scoresheet, slotting past Espanyol goalkeeper Romane Salvador to give the visitors a two-goal cushion at the break.

Weir went on to net another goal after the interval, before Athenea del Castillo quickly added a fourth. There was still time for Maite Oroz to add to the Real Madrid tally, compounding a difficult outing for the newly-promoted Liga F hosts.

Madrid CFF 2-1 Costa Adeje Tenerife

Madrid CFF fought back from behind to get their Liga F campaign up and running with a victory. The hosts fell behind in the 32nd minute when Jassina Blom headed home from an inswinging corner. Summer signing Kamilla Melgård provided a swift response for her new club, firing into the far corner to send the two sides into the break on level terms. Another summer addition Kayla McKenna completed the turnaround in the second period. The Jamaica international found the net with the aid of a deflection to seal a narrow victory for the hosts.

Eibar 2-0 Real Betis

Eibar kicked off their second straight Liga F campaign with a relatively comfortable victory over Betis. Ane Campos broke the deadlock in the 40th minute, getting across her marker to tuck the ball home from Margherita Monnecchi’s delivery. Esperanza Pizarro went on to double Eibar’s advantage within two minutes of the restart. The Uruguay international sent her header in off the crossbar after meeting Arene Altonaga’s inviting cross. Betis were unable to produce a response, ensuring they returned to Andalucía with nothing to show for their efforts.

Embed from Getty Images

Sevilla 3-2 Real Sociedad

Bayern Munich loanee Natalia Padilla Bidas required less than 30 minutes to find the net on her Sevilla debut. The Poland international drove into the box before picking out the bottom corner to give her side a slender half-time lead.

Nerea Eizagirre restored parity in the 66th minute before Fatou Kanteh Cham netted a quickfire brace to reassert Sevilla’s authority on the contest. The ex-Villarreal forward drilled a long-range strike past Elene Lete shortly before she pounced on a rebound to give her new club a two-goal advantage. Claire Lavogez netted a late consolation, but it ultimately proved to be too little too late for Real Sociedad.

Levante 0-1 Athletic Club

After seeing several key players leave over the summer, a new-look Levante side began the 2024/25 campaign with a narrow defeat to Athletic Club. The Basque side required just four minutes to open the scoring through Irene Oguiza, whose cross crept in at the far post after evading everyone in the box. Half-time substitute Anissa Lahmari thought she had equalised for the hosts. However, the officials failed to spot that the ball had crossed the line, ensuring Athletic could celebrate an opening-day victory.

Deportivo de la Coruña 0-3 Barcelona

Barcelona began the defence of their Liga F title with a successful trip to Galicia. The reigning champions had to remain patient in their search for an opener against newly-promoted Deportivo. The pressure finally told in the 58th minute when Pajor netted a close-range effort to open her Liga F account. Esmee Brugts then guided the ball in from Alexia Putellas’ inch-perfect delivery to give Barça the comfort of a two-goal cushion. There was still plenty of time left in the contest for Pajor to add her second and Barcelona’s third goal of a successful away trip.

Valencia 1-1 Levante Badalona

The newly rebranded Levante Badalona began the new season with a hard-fought draw against Valencia at Estadio Antonio Puchades. Valencia forward Asun Martínez pounced on a loose ball to fire the home side into an early lead. The hosts held onto their slender advantage until the 65th minute when María Llompart pulled the visitors level. The former Villarreal midfielder was in the right place to tuck the ball home from Enith Salon’s parry.  As it proved, the respective sides ultimately had to be content with a share of the spoils.

Related articles from Her Football Hub:

• Liga F: Everything to know ahead of the 2024/25 season

• Levante Las Planas rebrand to Levante Badalona

• Lucy Bronze: Chelsea are the ‘best team’ to achieve UWCL dream