In a double-helping of Liga Iberdrola action, the sixteen Spanish teams took to the pitch tonight to play their second match in a five-day period, some faring far better than others.

Barcelona and Tenerife scoop maximum points

Having slipped up just before the international break, Barcelona took back to the pitch with a point to prove, their ruthless 6-1 taking apart of Real Betis complimented with a 2-0 away to Sevilla. After being somewhat pummelled by that Catalans – their fourth straight loss seeing the team concede 17 in that time – Betis finally got back to winning ways at home to Madrid, a Priscila Borja double enough for all three points, a late Jade goal not enough to the team from the capital.

Struggling for consistency Madrid will be glad to have time to refocus before the weekend’s matches, their 2-1 win over Huelva last month – a win that put an end to their four-match pointless run – a world away. With Huelva a distant memory, Madrid have reverted back to their fruitless matches, losing 1-3 at home to Tenerife – Jade the goalscorer once again – before seeing another match slip by against Betis.

Enjoying a surprisingly strong season, Tenerife have flown up the table, their 3-1 win over Madrid the precursor to an impressive 5-1 over Sporting Huelva that saw three goals scored at the death, Cristina Martín-Prieto in sterling form this month. The 5-1 loss for Huelva a glass of cold water for the Andalusians after a strong 2-0 over Albacete – El Funda dealt back-to-back defeats with a 3-0 loss today to Real Sociedad.

Sociedad continue their resurgence

Now unbeaten in five, the Basque side are finally playing with some confidence, a jarring 6-2 win at home to Zaragoza over the weekend enough to put a spring in anyone’s step – especially that of Nahikari García who found the back of the net five times in the rolloping. Though not on the scoresheet against in Albacete, Nahikari still found time to set up Beatriz Beltrán for the first goal as las Txuri Urdinak went on to win 3-0.

With little to show for their season so far, Zaragoza’s heavy loss to Sociedad was somewhat to be expected but allowed to reset and take to the pitch again, the Aragonese team came out firing against fellow strugglers, Santa Teresa. Scoring their ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth goals of the season the hosts were quick to put the match to bed though their first win of the season wasn’t enough to lift them over their opposition.

Sliding back down, Santa Teresa have had another tough could of games, shipping three at home to Levante before losing 4-1 to Zaragoza, Estefa’s late penalty of little consolation. Back to winning ways, Levante are up to fourth after scooping maximum points from their last two matches, their calm 3-0 win over ST a starter before tackling a Basque main course. Charlyn Corral’s fine hattrick enough for the Granotes as they held off Athletic Club, the visitor’s two goals not enough for a point in Valencia.

Picking up steam after their loss to Tenerife at the end of October, Athletic came from behind to ease to 3-1 win over an inconsistent Rayo team before slipping to a 3-2 loss in Levante, their hopes of finishing top two all but gone. Unable to string two wins together on the spin, Rayo bounced back from their loss to Athletic to calmly dispatch Valencia in Madrid, Natalia efficient in front of goal as ever as she contributed two in their 4-2 win.

Atleti march on

Unbeaten in four coming into their home tie against Espanyol, Valencia did well to extend their run to five with a 1-1 draw before they came undone against Rayo. Going well this season, Espanyol had rather hit the breaks, struggling for goals their 1-1 against Valencia at least saw the end to a run of 330 minutes without a goal. Up against the league leaders the Periquitos kept their defensive strength, keeping Atleti out until late in the day, Mônica’s 78th minute goal the difference in Catalunya.

The only team yet to lose a game this season, the current Liga Iberdrola champions continued their consistent form, a 2-0 win over Sevilla enough to ease them into their tight win over Espanyol.

Handed a particularly rough run of fixtures, Sevilla have found themselves in a tailspin, bouncing from one loss to the next. November losses to Santa Teresa, Athletic Club and Valencia behind them as they came up against the top two in the league, Las Rojiblancas two goals down to both Atleti and Barca at half-time, though tight at the back for both second halves the Andalusian team could offer nothing in front of goal.

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About the author
Sophie Lawson
Neutral football fan travelling around Europe, covering matches and bothering footballers for interviews