Player Ratings: Villarreal 0 - 4 Real Madrid; Liga F

Starting XI

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GK: Misa Rodríguez — 8/10: Continued her impressive streak of keeping clean sheets; however, it was not as straight forward as it seems. She was put under a lot of stress thanks to the attacks that originated from Villarreal’s intense pressing. She dealt with it brilliantly though and made a superb save from a free-kick in the beginning of the second half.

RB: Kenti Robles — 5/10: Not her best performance as she floundered vs. the intense Villarreal press. Misplaced a few passes — one of which led to a dangerous chance for Sheila Guijarro. Was substituted at halftime.

CB: Kathellen Sousa — 6/10: Struggled in the first half like most of the Madrid players with the intense pressure and aggression from Villarreal. She got better as the team settled down, especially when the team went to a back three.

CB: Ivana Andrés — 6.5/10: Was back in the team after missing out the last two matches. Initially had a tough time but helped the team settle down when put under pressure in the first twenty minutes. Got better with a change of system. Still not back at her best though.

LB/LWB: Olga Carmona — 7/10: Her performance was full of energy — as we have come to expect from her — but had a difficult first half. She had issues playing the ball from the back and was not able to combine well with Athenea going forward. Nevertheless, she got back to her brilliant best with a change of system in the second half and was a constant outlet in attack.

CDM: Freja Siri — 6.5/10: Was arguably her best game for Real Madrid. Despite not being the best when pressed, she offered physicality in midfield and she wasn’t scared to impose her physical strength and had a brilliant battle with Aiona Campo in midfield. Felt she was a bit unlucky to be taken off at halftime.

CM: Claudia Zornoza — 6/10: Had a Jekyll & Hyde performance as she really struggled in the first half but was back to her best in the second. Was comfortable on the ball and even grabbed an assist. She was one of the players who really benefited with the shift in shape.

AM: Caroline Weir — 7.5/10: Although she had a more quiet game than we’ve come to expect from her, she still carried a lot of threat going forward and worked her socks off, especially with Freja and Zornoza being under intense pressure in midfield in the first half. Weir had a key role in the first goal, playing in Esther brilliantly. Overall, she continues to rack up impressive G+A numbers.

RW: Naomie Feller — 6/10: Didn’t get much opportunities to run at people and was not helped by the fact that Kenti had a poor night going forward. She's still adapting to the team and it will take time before we see the best from her

LW/RWB: Athenea del Castillo — 8/10: A busy, energetic performance from Athenea. Had a huge chance in the first half from a Feller cutback, which hit her knee and went over. She was full of energy and hard work and played really well as a wing-back in the second half. A very key player for us this season, as her all round game has gone up another level.

CF: Esther González — 7.5/10: Typical Esther performance for her: dropped deep, pressed, and run herself into the ground. Scored her fourth goal of the season but she has to be feeling the pressure to keep her spot with Nahikari’s form.

Substitutes

CB: Rocío Gálvez — 8.5/10 (replaced Freja; 46’): Came on at the beginning of the second half when Toril changed the system to a back three and continued from where she left off in the last two games. She was dominant, assured, calm, and brilliant and capped it all off with the second goal, making it two goals in Liga F for her now. She’s the best center-back in the team currently.

CM: Teresa Abelleira — 8/10 (replaced Kenti; 46’): Gave us control, calm in possession, and tenacity and ensured we won the midfield battle. Got another assist — fourth of the season — to add to her impressive G+A count in 2022/2023.

LAM: Maite Oroz — 7.5/10 (replaced Feller; 46’): She was brilliant in possession, helped us settle down, and added quality in midfield. Assisted Nahikari for her second goal.

CF: Nahikari García — 9.5/10 (replaced Esther; 74’): Came in for the final 15 minutes and what a fifteen minutes it was from her. She scored twice; the first was a delicate header from Weir’s cross and the second was a belter with her weaker right foot from outside the box. She’s in the form of her life and is the leading goal scorer for the team in Liga F (5 goals). Her battle with Esther for the No. 9 slot will be intriguing.

AM: Caroline Moller — N/A (replaced Weir; 81’): Missed a 1v1 after Teresa played her through with a quick free-kick that caught the Villarreal defense napping. Otherwise, didn’t have a lot of time to influence the game.