Her Football Hub
·2 October 2024
Her Football Hub
·2 October 2024
Ewa Pajor netted her first Liga F hat-trick as Barcelona cruised to a thumping 10-1 victory against Granada on matchday four. Elsewhere, Rasheedat Ajibade played a key role in Atlético Madrid’s 4-0 derby win over Madrid CFF.
Here, we will round up all the action from matchday four of the Liga F season, including a successful away trip for Real Madrid.
Atleti maintained their 100 percent start to the season with a dominant display in Friday’s derby clash with Madrid CFF. The hosts took a narrow lead into the break following a moment to forget for goalkeeper Paola Ulloa. The Madrid CFF shot-stopper could only watch the ball trickle into the net after an Rasheedat Ajibade cross squirmed through her grasp. The opener may have gone down as an own goal, but Ajibade still had a goal of her own to celebrate in the 55th minute. The Nigeria international drove into the box and evaded a sliding challenge before she slotted the ball in at the near post.
Ajibade then played a key role in the third goal, with her purposeful run into the box forcing Emily Assis to knock the ball past her own goalkeeper. There was still time in the contest for Synne Jensen to wrap up the win with her first goal as an Atleti player.
After losing their first three games, Levante will have been relieved to claim maximum points in Saturday’s trip to Ipurua. The visitors were given a significant boost when Eibar’s María Miralles was sent off in the 27th minute. The goalkeeper was given her marching orders for handling the ball outside her area in an attempt to stop Ivonne Chacon from advancing towards an empty net.
As the first half entered the stoppage time, Estela Carbonell pounced on a defensive mix-up to prod Levante into a narrow lead. Chacon made sure of the three points in the second period, doubling the advantage in the 75th minute before netting Levante’s third in the closing stages. Chacon’s brace ultimately helped move her side out of the drop zone and up to 11th place.
For the second week in a row, Betis and Espanyol had to be content with a goalless draw. The newly-promoted visitors thumped the woodwork in the first period, but that frustrating moment ultimately proved to be the story of the contest. It was perhaps unsurprising to see the two sides play out a cagey affair following their struggles in the final third. Betis are the only team yet to score in Liga F this season, while Espanyol have mustered one goal in their four matches.
Barcelona produced a commanding display on a day when Marta Torrejón was honoured for 20 years of service at the elite level of Spanish football. Pajor required just two minutes to break the deadlock in Saturday’s contest. Torrejón and Alexia Putellas both got on the scoresheet before an own goal stretched Barcelona’s lead to four. Pajor then tapped in from Caroline Graham Hansen’s pullback to add a fifth before the break.
After failing to trouble the hosts in the first half, Granada managed to pull a goal back through Ornella Vignola. However, that proved to be a fleeting moment of promise as Barcelona continued to flex their muscles. Fridolina Rolfö and Graham Hansen grabbed a goal apiece to take Barcelona’s tally to seven. Pajor then pounced on a rebound from her initial shot to wrap up her first hat-trick as a Barça player. Bonmatí made it nine before Putellas netted a penalty to take her side into double digits.
Dépor collected their second point of the season in Saturday’s clash with Athletic. Olaya Rodríguez guided her 27th minute header over the onrushing Adriana Nanclares to give Athletic a narrow half-time lead. The visitors hit back within two minutes of the restart thanks to Maite Zubieta’s sensational free-kick. The 20-year-old whipped it over the wall and into the top corner to beat the helpless Inês Pereira.
Ana de Teresa restored Dépor’s advantage in the 83rd minute, drilling a first-time shot into the bottom corner. However, there was to be one final twist in this gripping contest as Maite Valero thumped home a late equaliser to salvage a point.
Real Sociedad fought back from a goal down to claim a narrow win in Sunday’s home meeting with Levante Badalona. Ana González netted a 20th minute penalty to get the visitors off to the perfect start. Colombia international Manuela Vanegas then headed her side level to leave the contest finely poised at the half-time interval. The game was ultimately decided in the 79th minute when Violeta Quiles charged down the goalkeeper’s clearance. The ball broke into the path of Sanni Franssi, who had the simple task of rolling home the winning goal.
Sevilla bundled the ball in from a corner to establish a narrow half-time lead against Valencia. Natalia Padilla Bidas doubled Sevilla’s advantage within six minutes of the restart. The 21-year-old arrived at the back post to turn the ball in from Lucía Corrales’s deep cross.
After conceding a second, Valencia sparked hopes of a comeback when substitute Phoenetia Browne found the net in the 77th minute. However, Padilla Bidas ultimately made sure of all three points, dispatching a late penalty to condemn Valencia to a third consecutive defeat.
Caroline Møller guided the ball in from Eva Navarro’s cross to open the scoring just before the hour mark. Linda Caicedo then showed great composure and nimble footwork to mark her first appearance of the season with a goal. Rinsola Babajide pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, before Møller restored Real Madrid’s two-goal cushion in an entertaining first half.
The second period failed to produce the same level of action, but it did feature a late strike from Filippa Angeldahl. The former Manchester City midfielder sent her dipping long-range effort out of the reach of Noelia Ramos. The result ensured Real Madrid maintained a 100 percent record along with Barcelona and Atleti.