In Liga IberdrolaBarcelona and Atleti both got the weekend off to a strong start with respective wins over Sporting Huelva and Madrid whilst Levante put five past an ailing Zaragoza side.

The next day Espanyol were held at home by Sociedad before Valencia mirrored the scoreless draw in Tenerife whilst both Seville teams lost 1-2 to Athletic and Santa Teresa and elsewhere Rayo played out an exciting draw with Albacete.   

Barcelona 3-0 Sporting Huelva

Teenager Patricia Guijarro starred for Barcelona as they overcame a stubborn Huelva side at the Mini Estadi on Saturday morning. A corner ten minutes before the break proved to be the tonic the Catalans needed, Sarita Serrat smart to save Mariona’s initial volley but only able to punch the ball at Guijarro’s feet the finish was an easy one for the 19-year-old.

Not as bright in the second half, Sporting slumped back a little, unable to continue with their high press, the team fully retreating after Guijarro’s deft header early in the second half flew over Serrat and into the inside of the net. Fielding a weaker starting XI than usual, Fran Sánchez used his bench to the full extent, the addition of Nataša Andonova twenty minutes from time perfect for the hosts to add a third. The Macedonian claiming her first goal for her new club just four minutes after coming on, after she slipped behind the defence to latch onto Guijarro’s threaded ball and curl it around Serrat.

Madrid 0-3 Atleti

Knocking on the door but unable to find a key in the opening exchanges, Atletico’s lack of finish was enough to leave them frustrated until Esther Gonzalez nodded Sonia Bermúdez’s floated free kick just over Paola Ulloa’s outstretched glove late in the first half. Having saved an initially effort there was little Ulloa could do when her parry made it out to the top of the box for Marta Corredera to lash home and double the advantage on the hour.

After missing a startlingly high number of chances, Bermúdez finally got her goal late in the day when she unleashed a rocket into the top right corner after taking Ludmila’s lay off first time to cap off a dominant performance just18 miles from their Majadahonda home.

Levante 5-1 Zaragoza

Levante stretched their unbeaten run to five with a third successive win at home to toiling Zaragoza, Charlyn Corral once more at the heart of everything good las Granotas did.

Jéssica da Silva the one to break the deadlock eighteen minutes in with a super strike from range after being played in by Corral, though both sides threatened the goals dried up until under the break.

It wasn’t long before the net was rippling after the restart, Corral sharp to take advantage of confusion over an offside to make it 2-0 before Zaragoza pulled one back though Ainhoa López, the teenager’s first of the season. A faultless counterattack from a Zaragoza corner saw the hosts reopen a two goal gap just five minutes later, da Silva assisted by Corral once again. The match looked set to finish at 3-1 until Corral struck at the start of stoppage time to boost Levante’s goal difference just moments before Nerea Pérez capped off the scoring with a spectacular volley to worsen ZCFF’s misery. 

Credit: VAVEL ESP/Andrea Royo
Credit: VAVEL ESP/Andrea Royo

Betis 1-2 Athletic Club

The visitors took the lead seventeen minutes in when Yulema Corres nodded Nekane’s flicked header goalwards, Irene Guerrero only able to turn the ball into the back of the net from the goal-line with Miriam in no man’s land. Having more than their fair share of it at home in Seville, Betis laboured for a quality end product and though Ainhoa Tirapu was kept on her toes she had little in the way of saves to make.

Erika Vázquez’s sublime solo goal ten minutes from time saw the Basque side seal all three points, the attacker single-minded as she raced down the pitch, running around Nana before chasing into the box and slipping the ball inside of the near post. All but beaten, Betis were at least able to grab a consolation through Yaiza Relea moments after Bilbao had doubled their advantage. The substitute’s lofted volley with her side to goal more than enough to get the better of any goalkeeper, the lone goal not enough for the hosts to salvage a point.  

Sevilla 1-2 Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa grabbed their first win of the season with a sterling effort to come from behind in Seville, Estefa’s ten-minute second half brace enough to cancel out Ali’s opener. Ten minutes after the hosts had taken the lead through Ali’s low strike, Estefa netted her fourth of the season, volleying Alba Merino’s dinked free kick high into the net. Pamela Tajonar found herself beaten for the second time ten minutes later when the 28-year-old attacker picked out the same spot just under the bar from 25-yards with a sublime effort to give the team from Badajoz their first win since May.

Rayo 2-2 Albacete

Ángeles got the ball rolling for the hosts just after the half hour when she poked home from two yards, rolling Laura Domínguez’s square ball past Elena before Matil nodded the visitors level just seven minutes later. The crowd were entertained by the attacking football on show by had to wait until the dying minutes for anymore goalmouth action, Ana Blanco marked her debut with neat assist for Iris, her through-ball well run onto by the attacker who slipped it past Elena.

With just two minutes to go that could have been that had it not been for an instant response from substitute Andrea Ojeda to share the spoils, though Rayo were given a chance to snatch a late winner after a collision in the box saw the hosts awarded a penalty. Stepping up in stoppage time, Paula Andújar failed to disguise her intentions, Elena following the ball all the way to insure El Funda returned home with a point to show for their efforts. 

Scoreless 

Despite the action elsewhere in Spain, Sociedad held Espanyol to the first scoreless game of the season, recording their first clean sheet since April, the point enough to see them lift from dead last to 15 whilst the draw keeps Las Periquitos in their last four.  Without any scoreless draws in the first seven weeks of the season, the second of the year wrapped up just an hour after the first when Valencia put a stop to Tenerife’s winning run in the Canaries. 

 

Liga Iberdrola table as it stands (Credit: La Liga)
Liga Iberdrola table as it stands (Credit: La Liga)
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About the author
Sophie Lawson
Neutral football fan travelling around Europe, covering matches and bothering footballers for interviews