Liga F round-up: Atlético Madrid boost European hopes as Athletic Club drop points | OneFootball

Atlético Madrid are in a strong position to secure European qualification after they got the better of Costa Adeje Tenerife on Friday. Meanwhile, their nearest rivals, Athletic Club, were only able to muster a point from their meeting with Madrid CFF.

Barcelona were not involved in domestic action at the weekend after they played their Matchday 36 game last Wednesday, beating Sevilla 5-1 before claiming a 4-1 victory in Sunday’s Women’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea.

Here, we will round up all the Liga F action from the weekend, including a disappointing result for basement side Valencia.

Real Sociedad 0-0 Eibar

Real Sociedad’s winless run in Liga F extended to 10 matches with a frustrating draw against Eibar. La Real had 69 percent possession, racked up 16 shots and registered four on target. However, they were unable to break the visitors’ stubborn resistance. As a result, seventh-placed Real Sociedad remain just one point clear of Eibar in eighth position.

Atlético Madrid 2-0 Costa Adeje Tenerife

Atlético Madrid tightened their grip on third spot with a successful home outing against Tenerife. Ainhoa Moraza required just five minutes to break the deadlock, racing into the box before slotting past Noelia Ramos.

Atleti went on to double their advantage through Gabriela García midway through the first half. The forward pounced on a parry from Tatiana Pinto’s shot to tap home from close range. The hosts stood firm at the opposite end of the pitch to seal all three points.

Granada 2-1 Valencia

Valencia’s survival hopes were effectively quashed in Saturday’s clash against Granada despite going into the break with a slender advantage. Anita Marcos, who returned from a long-term injury last month, steered the ball home from Marina Martí’s squared pass to net her first goal of the season.

However, Granada received the chance to equalise when the referee pointed to the spot for a foul on Edna Imade. Lauri kept her composure from the penalty spot to net her fifth league goal of the season. The home side completed the turnaround in the 89th minute. Imade neatly worked the space to tee up Alexia for a simple finish.

Madrid CFF 1-1 Athletic Club

Athletic’s top-three hopes were dealt a blow at the weekend despite the fact that the visitors netted a late equaliser. Nataša Andonova opened the scoring just past the hour mark, lashing home a left-footed strike after latching onto a loose ball.

Athletic managed to find a response in the 84th minute when Patricia Zugasti sent a looping shot out of the reach of Paola Ulloa. However, Athletic were unable to push on for a late winner. As a result of the draw, they are three points adrift of third-placed Atlético with four games left to play.

Espanyol 2-0 Levante Badalona

Arola Aparicio produced a stunning effort to open the scoring just before the half-hour mark. The 27-year-old opted to let fly from outside the box, firing a right-foot shot out of Laura Coronado’s reach to net her fourth Liga F goal of the season.

Lice Chamorro went on to double the home side’s advantage in the second period, sealing all three points in the battle between the two Catalan sides. Espanyol have now moved six points clear of danger, while Badalona are sitting just two points above the drop zone.

Levante 2-1 Deportivo La Coruña

Levante boosted their survival hopes with a narrow victory over Deportivo La Coruña. The hosts netted an early opener through Eva Alonso, who headed home following Inês Pereira’s poor punch from a corner. Bárbara Latorre produced a quick response, volleying past Andrea Tarazona from Ainhoa Marín’s inviting cross.

Depor were only level until the 49th minute when Estela Carbonell drove a low shot into the bottom corner to restore Levante’s advantage. The hosts saw out the remainder of the contest to move level with Depor on 26 points, positioning them four points clear of the bottom two.

Real Madrid 5-1 Real Betis

Real Madrid moved back to within four points of Barcelona with a commanding win over Real Betis, with all six goals arriving in a thrilling first half at Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano. Las Blancas were awarded an early penalty following Dorine’s rash challenge on Linda Caicedo. Caroline Weir converted the subsequent spot-kick to get the hosts up and running. Signe Bruun and María Méndez both netted headed goals to give Real Madrid a three-goal lead before the 30-minute mark.

Filippa Angeldahl calmly guided home Real Madrid’s fourth after seeing her initial effort saved by Paula Vizoso. Just moments later, Bruun produced an unstoppable strike from outside the box to take the tally to five in a dominant first-half performance. There was still time left in the half for Yasmine Zouhir to get Betis on the scoresheet. The visitors were unable to build on that goal as they suffered a heavy defeat. As a result, they remain in the drop zone with two points separating them from safety.

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