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Real Madrid Femenino won their second straight match with their victory over Espanyol 4-1. Las Blancas were propelled by a Jessica Martínez brace and goals from Lorena Navarro and Marta Cardona.
Player Ratings:
Misa — 6/10: Misa was relatively untested on the day. She cut out danger by coming off her line quickly. Misa made one save but only faced two shots on target. She was beaten by Brenda for Espanyol’s only goal in a 1v1 situation.
Kenti Robles — 6.5/10: Kenti Robles got forward well and wasn’t required to do much defensively. She bombed up the right flank and provided overlapping runs for Sofia Jakobsson. Her service was dangerous but didn’t result in anything.
Ivana Andrés — 7.5/10: Ivana anticipated mistakes from Real Madrid’s players and cut out two big chances for Espanyol after a Las Blancas midfielder gave the ball away in a dangerous area. She also passed well out of the back and helped dictate the tempo of the match. Brenda got by her on the goal but Ivana was put in a tough position by the give away.
Babett Peter — 7/10: Peter was solid as usual. She wasn’t tested much but made the right challenges when she needed to. Unfortunately, Peter did not finish the match due to a knock she picked up in the closing stages of the game.
Marta Corredera — 8/10: This was one of Corredera’s best matches of the season. She was great defensively. Corredera also switched the point of attack repeatedly, finding Kenti Robles with sweeping cross field passes. She played at both left back and right back at different stages of the match and got forward well.
Thaisa — 5.5/10: Thaisa opened the match with a bad giveaway. She improved throughout the match but her passing was not precise and she coughed up possession too many times. Thaisa did have some good quick interchanges going forward.
Kaci — 6/10: Kaci struggled to get involved at the beginning of the match. Like Thaisa, Kaci combined with others for quick one-twos going forward. She improved when Teresa joined the midfield and when Maite Oroz was introduced.
Teresa — 7/10: Teresa was originally on the left wing in the formation David Aznar elected. She quickly tucked inside and made her influence felt, providing more measured control. Teresa assisted Jessica Martinez’s second goal with great set-piece service. She also provided the assist to Marta Cardona’s goal. However, Teresa misplaced a pass in the sequence that led to Espanyol’s first goal.
Sofia Jakobsson — 5.5/10: Jakobsson had a few dangerous moments. She was fouled twice in the first two minutes which earned Las Blancas decent opportunities from free-kicks. In the 43rd minute, Jakobsson provided Jessica Martinez with a good ball in the box but Martinez wasted the opportunity.
Lorena Navarro — 6.5/10: Lorena dropped and linked up with the midfield well. She also tracked back in defense and recovered possession a number of times. Lorena scored the third goal of the game after making a good run and being found by Martínez in the box.
Jessica Martínez — 8.5/10: Jessica won a penalty and scored it early in the match. She doubled Las Blancas lead with a great header on Teresa’s free-kick. She assisted Lorena for the third goal.
Substitutes:
Matie Oroz — 6.5/10: Oroz entered the match in the 57th minute and made an immediate impact. Her presence was felt in possession and she recovered the ball extremely well to aid retention.
Marta Cardona — 7/10: Cardona came on and provided a spark on the left wing. She eventually scored a stunning goal in the 81st minute to make it 4-1.
Olga Carmona — 6/10: This was Olga’s first minutes after missing the past two matches due to a slight knock. She slid in at left back and was energetic and looked healthy.
Chioma Ubogagu — 6/10: Ubogagu came on in the 67th minute. She was active on the right side and cut inside to provide some variance in attack.
Ariana Arias — 5.5/10: Arias came on with Ubogagu. She didn’t get many touches but she tracked back and defended well.