News
DOM 20.11.2016
After chalking up their maiden away win of the campaign last matchday, Real Sociedad were raring to triumph again this time out in order to build up some momentum and begin putting a lacklustre start to the season behind them. But, not for the first time this term, things just did not go Igor San Miguel's side's way.
Betis, for their part, went into the game brimming with confidence on the back of holding all-conquering FC Barcelona to a draw last Sunday and their spirits will be even more buoyant now.
La Real had the upper hand in the opening minutes and carved out the first few chances, only failing to break the deadlock due to a combination of their own wayward finishing and some impressive goalkeeping by away custodian Miriam.
The hosts would be made to regret those missed chances as Betis midfielder Laura Gonzalez flicked the ball home on the stroke of half-time. Real Sociedad pushed for an equaliser, but the visitors had set out their stall well and withstood the pressure before settling the contest thanks to a stunning solo effort from their top scorer, Paula Moreno, who raced past two opposition players near the touchline 40 yards out, drove into the area and fired through the goalie's legs.
After claiming the spoils in San Sebastian, Maria Pry's charges are up to nine points, just one behind their beaten opponents, who have now lost five times this season.
More than 8,000 fans were in attendance for a Valencian derby that lived up to the hype and then some.
The Ciutat de Valencia Stadium was already rocking before Olivia Oprea put Levante ahead, reacting fastest to stab into the empty net after Christiane Endler had parried Charlyn Corral's fiercely struck free-kick. The ground positively erupted.
The home players had an extra spring in their step, continuing their dominance and creating the better opportunities. From one of these came the second goal, scored by Carol Marin, although it was all about Corral, the game's outstanding performer, who wriggled this way and that in the box, shook off Ivana Andres and squared for Marin to finish with aplomb.
At that point the stage looked set for a comfortable Levante victory, but Estefania Banini brought Valencia back into it with her first goal for the club. And what a goal it was, a sensational curling strike from outside the box.
With half an hour remaining, Valencia fancied their chances of getting something out of the match, but Levante managed to see it out and secure three points that left them as overnight league leaders ahead of Sunday's fixtures. "It's a dream come true to play and win in front of so many people," Charlyn gushed to LaLiga at the end of an encounter that will live long in the memory.
Granadilla Egatesa 2-1 Oiartzun KE
It was a proverbial game of two halves, with the second half belonging to Granadilla, who finished strongly and bagged an 83rd-minute winner.
That outcome would have been tough to predict during the opening exchanges, not least when Carol Gonzalez gave Oiartzun the lead with the first shot of the game in the 13th minute. However, it did not take the Tenerife outfit long to draw level through Virginia Montilla's sumptuous chip off an Ayano Dozono assist.
It was close to one-way traffic after the interval, but the Basques' stout rearguard action seemed set to frustrate Granadilla, until Ana Gonzalez broke their resistance with a long-range screamer.
Tony Ayala's team's sixth win of the season – and their fifth consecutive victory on home turf – was enough to lift them to within a single point of fourth-placed Valencia. On the other hand, Oiartzun saw a share of the spoils slip from their grasp late on for the second straight matchday and are now down in 15th, the second relegation spot, just a point off the foot of the table.
Rayo Vallecano 5-1 UD Tacuense
Rayo's Copa de la Reina dream is alive and kicking – indeed, it is beginning to look like a distinct possibility after they moved into ninth, level on points with eighth-placed Santa Teresa CD, by thrashing bottom club Tacuense.
It was an evenly matched start to the clash, but the hosts gradually took charge and got their noses in front midway through the first half courtesy of Estela Fernandez. Natalia Pablos doubled the scoreline a couple of minutes later from the penalty spot, ensuring Rayo went into half-time with a healthy advantage.
Miguel Angel Quejigo's troops remained on the front foot after the restart and added to their tally just three minutes later through Cristina Auñon, whose performance certainly deserved a goal. That was far from the end of the scoring, as Sheila Garcia made it 4-0 with a lovely effort from outside the area, and then Natalia capped her team's five-star display, making up for spurning an earlier opportunity by finding the net after some fine play down the left wing.
Tacuense, to their credit, kept plugging away as each goal flew in and gained a small measure of consolation with a spot-kick in stoppage time.
Zaragoza CFF 1-1 Sporting Huelva
With just a point between the two teams in the standings, this one had all the makings of an absorbing battle and it was exactly that.
Zaragoza made the early running and forced visiting goalkeeper Thais Picarte into action when Carla Gomez burst free up the right and played in Clara Martinez. Not long after, they were 1-0 up, Nuria Mallada heading home from a cross by Carla, who proved a handful all afternoon.
The hosts were deservedly in front when the whistle sounded after the first 45 minutes and could, or perhaps should, have extended their lead. Their inability to do so would come back to haunt them as Huelva snatched a point through Cristina Martin Prieto's 85th-minute equaliser from a counter-attack.
Although they will surely see it as two points dropped, Zaragoza will take comfort from the fact that they have stretched their unbeaten run to four and have still yet to lose at home this term.
Santa Teresa CD 1-3 Atletico Madrid
A hard-fought encounter appeared to be on the cards at the Estadio Viejo Vivero, where Santa Teresa, ensconced in the Copa de la Reina berths, awaited an Atletico side who have yet to be defeated this season.
As it was, however, Angel Villacampa's charges were simply too good on the day. They took to the pitch clearly determined to claim the victory and the match was only four minutes old when Sonia Bermudez, the division's leading scorer, broke the deadlock after being set up by Priscila Borja. A mere three minutes later, it was 2-0, Esther Gonzalez getting on the end of a Kenti Robles cross.
Genoveva Añonman opened her Rojiblancos account to seal the deal in the 87th minute, before Raquel Rodriguez pulled one back in the dying stages to salvage a trace of pride for her side.
The win keeps Atletico in second, hot on the heels of Barcelona at the top of the table.
It was an absolute barnstormer in Barcelona between two clubs hell-bent on putting some distance between themselves and the relegation zone, although the result did not serve that purpose for either.
The away team stormed into a two-goal lead through a double from Aida Samit (29' and 37'), but Espanyol crucially reduced the deficit before the break thanks to Pilar Garrote. This galvanised the Catalans, who came out with renewed belief after half-time and turned the scoreline around, Anair Lomba and Cristina Baudet striking in that order to hand their side a 3-2 advantage.
Albacete did not let their heads drop after going from a winning position to a losing one, showcasing admirable fighting spirit that was eventually rewarded when Carla Bautista converted a penalty in the last 10 minutes. Indeed, Teresa Sanchez went agonisingly close to clinching the spoils for the visitors, only for her free-kick to clatter the crossbar, and so the relegation rivals were forced to settle for a point apiece.
FC Barcelona 2-1 Athletic Club
The matchday ended with more excitement and attractive, high-octane football in the Catalan capital, in a game pitting this season's pace-setters against the reigning champions.
It was always likely to be a hard-fought affair and so it proved. Although Barcelona moved into the ascendancy after a quarter of an hour courtesy of Vicky Losada's fabulous whipped finish, Athletic were not about to lie down. The Basques battled back and got themselves on level terms when Andressa Alves was adjudged to have handled a goal-bound free-kick in the box. Erika Vazquez stepped up and blasted the ball home from the spot.
With several chances going begging at both ends, it took another penalty to tilt the balance. On this occasion Barça were the beneficiaries after trickster Koko Ange N'Guessan was brought down and Jenni Hermoso confidently sent the keeper the wrong way to take her team back to the Liga Iberdrola summit.
© LALIGA - 2016