Immediate Reaction: Deportivo Alavés 1 - 3 Real Madrid; Liga F

Win in Vitoria-Gasteiz against Deportivo Alavés. Real Madrid defeated Gloriosas with 1-3. Below are my views and comments on the game.

Grid View

• Real Madrid XI
• Deportivo Alavés XI
• Substitutes

• Toril for the first time this season started Nahikari and Esther together to lead the attack, integrating them in a 3-5-2 line-up with 3 center backs at the back. He put Olga and Athenea on the wings to cover the entire sideline, with Weir and Maite helping the strikers in the midfield, and Teresa acting as the deepest midfielder.
• For the first 14 minutes, something from both sides could be seen. From Athenea’s attempts to make a through pass in the middle, which is more preferred than crossing; Esther’s header attempt going just wide after a corner, and Alavés having one dangerous freekick. There was also a funny moment of an Alavés attacker trying to chip the ball over Misa outside of the box, but in the attempt, Misa touched it with her head and the ball bounced off the attacker’s hand. It could’ve potentially become dangerous if it wasn’t for the handball.
• 14’ GOAL by Caroline Weir (0-1)! Athenea made a cross from inside the box to the center of the area, the cross didn’t end at Weir’s feet right away, it came from a defender failing to control the ball in front of the Scot. Weir finished it off with a volley.

• In the following minutes, there were a couple of penalty shouts after Esther fell in the box twice. There wasn’t a clear foul anyway. Speaking of Esther, she made quite a few good side-passes to the center of the box, one to Maite in 18’ that ended in a good strike, but ultimately the goalkeeper caught it.
• Olga also attempted a couple of times, but both times went just wide.
• 44’ GOAL by Maite Oroz (0-2)! Athenea made a ground pass to the center of the box again which found Maite who finished it off.

• Halftime sub: Svava in for Olga.
• In the second half, a few good combinations made by Nahikari to Esther, and between Esther and Athenea could be seen.
• 61’: GOAL by Esther González (0-3)! One of the great combinations between Esther and Athenea was exactly in this goal. It was a clean Esther-Athenea-Esther movement at the end of which Esther put it in the net.

• 65’ sub: Toletti and Lucía in for Weir and Athenea. Lucía got to play after a while, wondering what happened so she plays this little.
• After the third goal. Madrid let Gloriosas attack for a while.
• 79’: GOAL by Sara Carrillo (1-3)! Alavés took the corner and the ball landed between a sea of players right in front of Madrid’s goal, it found Carrillo and bounced into the net.
• Especially after this goal did Las Blancas lose a bit of control, giving away a few corners and such. Gloriosas were on Madrid’s side for a few minutes and were keen to level the result. Thankfully for Real Madrid, they didn’t manage, despite the lost control on the white side. Aside from the goal, Alavés didn’t have any more dangerous actions or shots on target.
• In 90+3’ there was an odd chance by Real Madrid. It started from Svava running in from the sides and handed it to Toletti to hit the post there. The ball bounced off a defender in front of which Møller was positioned. The ball almost ended in an own goal, but the goalkeeper caught it on the line.

The game ended at 1-3. A very chaotic game, to say the least, and it was filled with the obligatory array of misses against Alavés.