Real Madrid Femenino Return To Winning Ways vs. Sporting Huelva

A narrow 1-0 win secures Real Madrid Femenino’s ninth win of the season.

Sofia Jakobsson’s deflected effort in the first half was enough for Real Madrid Femenino to grab three points away at Sporting Huelva, bouncing back to winning ways after losing the Madrid Derby this past weekend.

Granadilla Tenerife’s 2-1 loss to Sevilla Femenino means that Las Blancas have regained the second spot in the table, with 28 points from 13 games, 2 points off Barcelona Femení who have played three games lesser.

Now, coming to the game, it should have been a complete no-show on paper. Sporting Huelva was at 10 points coming into this game, level with 16th-placed Santa Teresa, just above the relegation zone. However, owing to the best defensive record among the bottom five teams in the league, Sporting Huelva made life difficult for the visitors.

The hosts had a few shots during the opening exchanges of the game, showing that their intent was clear. As for Las Blancas, their first shot on target came in the 30th minute. Sporting Huelva was pressing diligently, making it difficult for Real Madrid Femenino to build from the back, hence having to sit back and break on the counter.

In the 41st minute, Sofia Jakobsson broke the deadlock as her strike took a deflection while on its way into the back of the net. That calmed the nerves down going into half-time after what was a rather cumbersome first 45 minutes. The second half was cagey and neither side could create any danger. The match ended 1-0 in Real Madrid Femenino’s favour, a hard-earned victory in the absence of a few first-team regulars.

17-year old Ariana Arias got her first start for the senior team as both Kosovare Asllani and Jessica Martínez did not make it to the squad. Brazilian centre-back Daiane is still out injured, while Olga Carmona deputized for Marta Corredera at left-back, who missed out as well.

That was Real Madrid Femenino’s final game of 2020. Their next opponents are Madrid CFF, who currently lie at 7th place in the league table with two games in hand.