Player Ratings: Deportivo Abanca 0 - 2 Real Madrid Femenino

Real Madrid Femenino secured a much-needed three points after last week’s disappointing loss to Levante, beating Deportivo Abanca 2-0 despite a lackluster performance. Olga Carmona returned to the pitch after serving her two-match suspension in the second half and provided two assists. Marta Cardona scored the first with an absurd backheel flick and Sofia Jakobsson netted the second.

Player Ratings

Misa: 6.5/10 — Misa made a crucial intervention to put off Alba, who was through on goal in the ninth minute. That was the only big moment the goalkeeper was required to make. The rest of Depor’s chances didn’t trouble Misa.

Kenti Robles — 6/10: Robles created the best chance of the first half by serving a pinpoint cross to the head of Jessica Martínez. But she was caught upfield often in the first half and was somewhat impatient in possession.

Ivana Andrés — 7.5/10: Las Blancas’ captain put in another solid performance. In the first half, Ivana was required to make multiple 1v1 tackles that prevented Depor from being in on goal.

Claudia Florentino — 7/10: Florentino was tough to beat on the day. She was caught upfield a few times due to her aggressive style but the reward outweighed the risk. The play that encapsulated Florentino’s performance was the challenge she made that took her out of play. She immediately recovered and challenged another player at the top of the 18-yard box.

Marta Corredera — 6.5/10: Corredera had one of her better games offensively. She often drifted into the midfield. Las Blancas struggled to create in the first half but Corredera’s dribbling and line-breaking passing were one bright spot. However, she did turn the ball over too often.

Aurélie Kaci — 6.5/10: Kaci took some time to get into the game. The match was very transitional and Kaci struggled to get on the ball and impact the pace of the match. She did better as things progressed, dropping to link up with Maite Oroz and Teresa Abelleira more often.

Maite Oroz — 6/10: Maite Oroz was not her usual self against Depor. She showed moments of brilliance but she also repeatedly gave the ball away in dangerous positions.

Teresa Abelleira — 8/10: Teresa was one of the only players who was able to get control of the play in this transitional match. She successfully broke lines with her passing and her dribbling. Teresa did well to drive up the pitch and avoid a challenge before playing the ball to Olga Carmona, who assisted the first goal of the match.

Sofia Jakobsson — 7/10: This was another one of those Jakobsson performances where she did a few good things and disappeared for large portions of the match. She opened proceedings by creating a decent opportunity early and had another good square ball later in the first half. Jakobsson was relatively quiet in the second half until she was put through on goal by Olga Carmona and finished calmly.

Marta Cardona — 8.5/10: Cardona was put in a lot of 1v1 and 1v2 positions in transition. She did well to identify when to take on players and when to cut back and look for supporting runners. Cardona was dangerous out wide and in the middle of the pitch. She scored a wonderful backheel flick to open the scoring for Las Blancas.

Jessica Martínez — 5.5/10: Jessica struggled in the match and was largely starved of service. She had one opportunity to score and forced the keeper into a tough save with a good header. Jessica was replaced by Olga Carmona at halftime.

Substitutes:

Olga Carmona — 8/10: Carmona was subbed on to start the second half and immediately reminded Madridistas what they had been missing during her suspension. Carmona was good in possession and showed why she is one of the team’s most promising attackers. Her drop of the shoulder and change of pace allowed her to create enough space to assist Cardona. And she displayed her range of passing with a lovely outside of the boot flick to release Jakobsson in on goal.

Kosovare Asllani — N/A: Asllani entered the match in the 83rd minute for Marta Cardona.

Thaisa — N/A: Thaisa replaced Teresa in the 83rd minute to help close out the match and keep the clean sheet.

Lorena Navarro — N/A: Lorena was introduced in the 89th minute for Sofia Jakobsson.