Liga F round-up: Barcelona suffer first home defeat since 2019 as Levante prosper | OneFootball

Relegation-threatened Levante dug deep to pull off a surprise 2-1 win over Barcelona, condemning the Catalan giants to their first home defeat in Liga F since February 2019. Meanwhile, Real Madrid put five past Espanyol to claim maximum points on Matchday 17.

Here, we round up all the action from the eight matches that took place over the weekend in Liga F.

Real Madrid 5-0 Espanyol

Real Madrid’s Maëlle Lakrar put the ball in from a goal-mouth scramble to open the scoring in the 39th minute of Friday’s clash with Espanyol. Athenea del Castillo then produced some nimble footwork to create the space to slide the ball past Espanyol goalkeeper Mar Segarra. After taking a two-goal lead into the break, Real Madrid made a strong start to the second period, with Linda Caicedo adding a third before substitute Alba Redondo made it 4-0 with over 25 minutes left to play.

Defender María Méndez completed the rout in the 92nd minute, steering a header into the far corner to register her third league goal of the season. Unfortunately for the visitors, the heavy defeat extended their winless run to five matches.

Madrid CFF 0-2 Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad moved into the top three with a successful away outing against Madrid CFF.  Nerea Eizagirre found the breakthrough just after the half-hour mark, collecting a poor defensive header before driving a left-foot strike out of the reach of Belén Gracia. Former Madrid CFF forward Lucía Pardo found the net against her previous employers in the second minute of stoppage time. The 25-year-old neatly shifted the ball onto her left foot before guiding it into the top corner.

While La Real are in third place, the hosts finish the weekend in 11th position in the Liga F table.

Deportivo La Coruña 1-1 Valencia

Basement side Valencia rescued a point in Saturday’s away meeting with Dépor. Ainhoa Marín gave the hosts a 14th-minute lead with a stunning long-range effort. The 23-year-old thumped an unstoppable strike out of the reach of Antonia Canales to score in back-to-back matches. Valencia appeared to be heading towards defeat until Emma Martín conjured up a goal from distance. The January addition powered her first-time shot into the far corner to score her first goal for the club.

While they may have avoided defeat, Valencia still require something special to avoid relegation, with eight points separating them from safety. As for Dépor, they are now sitting three points clear of the drop zone.

Barcelona 1-2 Levante

Levante boosted their survival hopes with a major upset in Saturday’s away clash against European champions Barcelona. María Alharilla opened the scoring in the opening stages of the second period. The 34-year-old worked the space to fire a shot in off both posts, giving the visitors a surprise lead at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. After being put under immense pressure, Levante doubled their advantage in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Ivonne Chacón outmuscled Ingrid Engen, before she calmly took the ball around Ellie Roebuck and rolled it into the awaiting net.

Just as Levante thought they had done the hard work, Fridolina Rolfö tapped in at the far post to give Barcelona renewed hope. The away side were then given another challenge to overcome when Ainhoa Bascuñan was dismissed for two bookable offences. However, Levante ultimately survived the final few nervy moments to claim a memorable victory and end Barcelona’s unbeaten record in Liga F this season. Levante have now moved to within two points of safety, while the Catalan giants remain top of the table despite the defeat.

Athletic Club 0-1 Eibar

Eibar got the better of fellow Basque side in Sunday’s away meeting with Athletic Club. The contest was effectively decided in the third minute when Elba Vergés netted her second league goal of the season. The defender pounced on a rebound to tuck the ball home after Eva van Deursen struck the woodwork.

Athletic went on to have over 70 percent possession in the contest, but they failed to translate that dominance into an equaliser. Athletic are left three points adrift of the top three, while Eibar have moved seven points clear of danger.

Sevilla 0-2 Costa Adeje Tenerife

Rinsola Babajide netted her sixth league goal of the season to give Tenerife a ninth-minute lead in Sunday’s meeting with Sevilla. As the game approached the hour mark, Babajide sent in a cross for Gift Monday to head home from close range. Monday’s sixth goal in five matches wrapped up three points, but there was still to be one final moment of drama in the 87th minute. Sevilla’s Alba Cerrato was given her marching orders for an off-the-ball incident in what proved to be a forgettable day for the Andalusian side.

Levante Badalona 2-1 Real Betis

Levante Badalona’s Itziar Pinillos scored the opening goal in Saturday’s home clash with Betis. The 24-year-old drove towards the edge of the box before lifting the ball over Noelia Gil. Trailing at the break, Betis were given the chance to restore parity from the penalty spot in the second period. Laura Coronado’s foul gave Rosa Márquez the opportunity to slot the ball home from 12 yards.

However, Betis were level for less than a minute, with Macarena Portales restoring the home side’s advantage with immediate effect. The forward shifted the ball onto her left foot before blasting it into the roof of the net. Badalona saw out the remainder of the contest to clinch their first league win since October.

Granada 0-0 Atlético Madrid

Atlético Madrid dropped two points in their quest to secure a top three finish. The respective goalkeepers ultimately came out on top in the goalless affair. Granada’s Sandra Estévez made seven saves, while her opposite number, Patricia Larqué made six. Including a crucial one to push Andrea Gómez’s late effort against the most.  Larqué may have preserved a point, but Atleti finished the weekend two points adrift of the top three after they went into matchday 17 in third spot.

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