Primera Iberdrola Week 11: Invincible Barcelona steamroll with Sociedad keeping check
Will Barcelona better last season’s performance of winning 33 of their 34 games having won their first 11 games of the current campaign?
Reigning Champions Barcelona destroyed Sevilla 10-1 in a Primera Iberdrola match played on Saturday.
The Blaugranes were ruthless in front of goal as they picked from where they left midweek in the UEFA Women’s Champions League against Hoffenheim. Four-goal hero Jennifer Hermoso opened the scoring in the second minute before defender Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic weighed in with two goals in the sixth and 17th minutes.
Hermoso was at it again in the 28th minute before forward Fridolina Rolfo added the fifth goal in the 37th minute.
The home side reduced the deficit a minute before the break, through forward Elisa del Estal Mateu’s header from a corner kick.
Two minutes before the hour mark, Rolfo got her second of the day to make it six for the visitors.
The home side lost concentration with 10 minutes to go and conceded two goals in quick succession when forwards Claudia Pina and Mariona Caldentey scored in the 82nd and 83rd minutes respectively.
The match looked wrapped up but the free-scoring Barca side found two more goals through Hermoso in the 86th and 93rd minutes to complete her hattrick and four on the day.
Levante vs. Madrid CFF
Levante routed Madrid CFF 4-0 away in Madrid on Saturday as they sought to increase their chances of playing continental football again next season.
Levante opened the scoring in the 16th minute through on-loan striker Giovana Queiroz before fellow forward Alba Redondo doubled the lead in the 37th minute to go on the break with a two-goal cushion.
Madrid CFF fought back to reduce arrears but found themselves conceding two more goals in quick succession, in the 51st and 52nd minutes, as Redondo completed her hattrick.
The home side were reduced to ten women after substitute Natasa Andonova was shown a red card in the 90th minute.
Athletic Club vs. Sporting Huelva
Struggling visiting Sporting Huelva held Athletic Club to a 2-all draw on Saturday.
The home side found themselves behind as early as the eighth minute after forward Hannah Keane bundled home the opener. Forward Lucia Garcia equalized 14 minutes later.
Keane came back in the 25th minute to haunt the home side with her second of the day with the home side going to the break leading.
The home side fought for an equalizer which came with nine minutes remaining through Garcia who got her second of the day as the home side spurned the opportunity to stay in the Champions League spots.
Eiber vs. Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid turned on the power and beat Eibar 3-0 at the Unbe Sports Complex on Sunday.
The visitors opened the scoring in the fifth minute through midfielder Maitane Lopez before forward Barbara Latorre doubled the lead in the 23rdminute.
The home side went to the break trailing and would further be pegged behind two minutes before the hour mark with forward Deyna Castellanos giving the visitors a three-goal cushion.
The win took Atletico Madrid to third position on the log standings just a point above fourth placed Athletic Club and three points behind second placed Real Sociedad.
Real Sociedad 3-0 Granadilla Tenerife
Real Sociedad beat Granadilla Tenerife 3-0 at home on Sunday.
The home side had a frustrating first half as they could not break the visitors’ defence. They finally got the opener seconds after resumption through defender Emma Ramirez.
She doubled the lead for the home side in the 65thminute before midfielder Nerea Eizagirre converted from the penalty spot in the 74thminute.
The three goals and three points were a relief for the home side as they consolidated their second position on the log standings.
Tenerife were hoping to make it four consecutive wins and move up the log standings but their run was ended and they remain on position eight with 16 points.
The home side were coming from a sad week where they had three points deducted by the league authorities.
Valencia vs. Real Betis
A 1-0 win for Valencia at home compounded misery on Real Betis.
The hosts won through an Oriana Altuve strike in the 62nd minute.
The win was a relief to the home side but it did not do much in their relegation battle with 19 more games to go.
Rayo Vallecano vs. Villarreal
In a relegation clash, bottom placed teams Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal shared the spoils in a four-goal thriller.
The home side opened the scoring in the 10th minute through forward Isadora Freitas before forward Belen Sousa equalized for the visitors in the 21st minute.
Raquel Pinel gave the visitors the lead in the 37thminute and they had the bragging rights at the break.
The home side equalized 10 minutes after the break through defender Paula Andujar Jimenez.
The point was not enough compensation for Villarreal who had three points deducted by the league authorities for not following league rules.
Results (Saturday): Levante 4-0 Madrid CFF; Athletic Club 2-2 Sporting Huelva; Sevilla 1-10 Barcelona
Results (Sunday): Valencia 1-0 Real Betis; Real Sociedad 3-0 Granadilla Tenerife; Eibar 0-3 Atlético Madrid; Rayo Vallecano 2-2 Villarreal; Real Madrid 1-1 Alaves.
Photograph by Las Colchoneras, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
