Immediate Reaction: Real Madrid 1 - 0 Sporting Huelva; Liga F

Win in the last match of the month before the start of the February international break. Real Madrid won 1-0 against Sporting Huelva in Madrid, with the late goal by Caroline Møller.

Grid View

• Real Madrid XI
• Sporting Huelva XI
• Subs

Alberto Toril lined up the team in the 4-2-3-1 formation that turns into 4-4-2 without the ball. The most obvious change is the goalkeeper. Méline Gérard gets to defend Madrid’s goal today instead of Misa. The back four make Kenti and Olga as fullbacks and Rocío and Kathellen as CBs. It’s the return of Zornoza-Weir-Toletti midfield after two thirds of this combination was benched in the midweek game. Athenea and Feller are on wings with Esther leading the attack in center.

• The first half was both very exciting and boring. It was full of chances for Madrid that could have ended in the goal.
• It all started in minute 2’ when Weir made a cross to Esther and her shot got blocked. This was the first chance of the match and it looked like Madrid would score soon. However, that was not the case at all.
• There were a lot of dribbling actions by Athenea after which she didn’t manage a final pass. Then Esther attempted a few shots as well which would usually end wide. Weir took a Couple of longshots and created quite a few chances as well.
• Sporting Huelva has one chance they got in 33’ after Rocío made a mistake in front of her box, but the shot went just wide. There was another action that could’ve turned dangerous if Gérard hadn’t come out of the box for her sweeper keeper moment that she nailed. That happened in 36’.
• The first half ended without goals on either side and the second started without any substitutions.
• The second half was filled with crosses, mostly coming from Olga. Sporting did a great job closing in the space every time Madrid would cross, or try a side pass inside, or even a dribble. However, Las Blancas created much less chances than they managed in the first half. The second half was quite repetitive, trying similar things, and with only one substitution (Maite for Esther in 62’) it wasn’t easy to get the ball inside. Since the substitution, the players inside the box were mostly Weir and Maite, and the ball would always fail to arrive.
• In 86’ there was another sub - Møller in for Kenti.
• GOAL by Møller (1-0)! Toletti’s brilliant cross from the right side arrived perfectly at the Dane’s feet who pushed the ball in. The goalkeeper tried to save it, but her efforts were in vain.

• Alberto Toril made two more time-wasting substitutions. Sporting Huelva got a corner and tried to tie but nothing dangerous came from their efforts.
• Another 90’ of suffering that ended in a late winner, this time from a late sub as well. Off to the international break - a very needed break after two games of constant suffering.