Primera Iberdrola Week 19 Round-Up: Barcelona, Real Sociedad win big as Tenerife close in on third position
The defending champions continued with fine run, demolishing Real Betis to keep title hopes alive and going past the 100-goal mark in just 18 matches.
Forward Asisat Oshoala was the toast of the day scoring a first half hat-trick as Barcelona routed Real Betis 4-0 at the Estadi Johan Cruyff on Saturday.
Oshoala got her goals in the 18th, 36th and 44th minutes and took her season’s goal tally to 15 and became level with fellow forward Lieke Martens.
Martens provided a beautiful pass to fellow forward Fridolina Rolfö to score the fourth goal in the 66th minute. Rolfö scored five minutes after coming on for fellow forward Carolin Graham Hansen.
The home side did not stop their juggernaut despite missing midfielders Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati, defender Jana Fernandez and goalkeeper Gemma Font due injury.
On the other hand, Real Betis had their goalkeeper Gaëlle Thalmann to thank for her heroics as she made crucial saves to deny the marauding Barcelona forwards on numerous occasions.
Elsewhere, second-placed Real Sociedad kept their Champions League football hopes alive with a 4-1 win against Villarreal at the Ciudad Deportiva on Saturday.
The win opened an eight-point gap between them and third-placed Atlético Madrid, who were held by Alavés.
The visitors took the lead in the 29th minute when forward Amaiur Sarriegi scored with an assist from defender Ane Etxezarreta. The visitors came back stronger after the break and forward Sanni Franssi scored two goals in the 47th and 50th minutes to give her side a three-goal lead. Forward Allegra Poljak made it 4-0 for the visitors in the 71st minute before the hosts pulled one back in the 89th minute through forward Sheilla Guijarro.
The hosts are in further danger of relegation after the defeat as they dropped to 15th position after Sporting Huelva drew one-all with Levante.
Fight for top three intensifies as Atlético Madrid lose ground
Atlético Madrid lost ground in their top three fight after being held to a one-all draw by Alavés away at the Ciudad Deportiva José Luis Compañón on Sunday.
The home side opened the scoring in the 49th minute through forward Sara Carrillo and momentarily looked set to win before the visitors equalised through defender Sheila García with only nine minutes left on the clock.
The draw left them just a point above fourth-placed UDG Tenerife.
UDG Tenerife edged Valencia 2-1 at the Estadio Antonio Puchades on Sunday.
Tenerife took the lead through Jassina Blom in the 37th minute and went to the break in the lead.
The hosts pulled one back from the penalty spot through forward lina Salmi in the 58th minute.
The visitors kept fighting and were rewarded with a 68th minute winner through defender Aleksandra Zaremba.
The win took the visitors to 34 points and within touching distance of Champions League football whilst the defeat further complicated Valencia’s relegation fight.
At the Instalaciones de Lezama Campo 1 on Sunday, Athletic Club edged struggling Rayo Vallecano 2-1 to record back-to-back wins to boost their hopes of a top three finish.
The hosts took the lead in the 16th minutes through forward Erika Vázquez from the penalty spot.
The visitors clawed back into the game and equalised with 15 minutes left on the clock through defender Camila Sáez.
The hosts made it 2-1 with four minutes left through forward Nekane Díez.
Real Madrid recorded another win as they beat Sevilla 3-1 at home at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano on Saturday to move to 26 points after 16 matches.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 28th minute through midfielder Natalia Gaitan but the lead was short-lived with the hosts equalising a minute later through midfielder Maite Oroz.
Midfielder Claudia Zornoza made it 2-1 for Madrid in the 37th minute and the hosts went to the break in the lead.
The hosts made it 3-1 through forward Athenea del Castillo six minutes from full-time.
Madrid CFF joins relegation fight
Eibar moved to 12th position on the standings after beating struggling Madrid CFF 2-1 at the Unbe Sports Complex on Sunday.
The visitors took the lead through their top scorer Geyse Ferreira in the 17th minute before the hosts equalised a minute before half-time through forward Carmen Álvarez.
Midfielder Aida Esteve secured maximum points for the hosts when she struck home in the 64th minute to make it 2-1.
The visitors have not collected any points in their last five matches, a statistic which has put them at risk of relegation.
At the Campo Federativo de la Orden on Sunday, Sporting Huelva came from behind to share the spoils with visiting Levante with a one-all draw.
Levante took the lead just three minutes into the match through forward Giovana Queiroz and went to the break in the lead.
A minute after the resumption, midfielder Anita Marcos equalised for Huelva and the strike would be enough for the hosts to rescue a point.
The draw moved Huelva one place above relegation zone, though with the same number of points as 15th placed Villarreal.
Results (Saturday): Barcelona 4-0 Real Betis; Villarreal 1-4 Real Sociedad; Real Madrid 3-1 Sevilla
Results (Sunday): Eibar 2-1 Madrid CFF; Valencia 1-2 UDG Tenerife; Alavés 1-1 Atlético Madrid; Athletic Club 2-1 Rayo Vallecano; Sporting Huelva 1-1 Levante
(Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)