Real Madrid avoided any surprises against Levante and took home the three points from Buñol to keep the pressure on Barcelona. Weir , from the eleven-meter mark, and Alba Redondo quickly put Toril ‘s team ahead , but they still had to work hard after Eva Alonso ‘s own goal to keep the Granota at bay in Ángel Saiz’s debut on the bench.
In a week marked by the victory against Real Sociedad and the Champions League draw that saw Arsenal as their opponent in the Champions League quarter-finals, Real Madrid had to once again focus their sights on Liga F. The five points that separated them from Barcelona could become two if they managed to beat the Blaugrana executioner: Levante. With Ángel Saiz making his debut on the bench, the Granotas continue with their objective of escaping the relegation places with a victory against the second-placed team.
Real Madrid players took the victory
In a replica of the success achieved at the Johan Cruyff, Levante set up a block with five defenders to help them hold on to the result as long as possible. This time, however, luck would not be so on the side of the home team. Athenea and Alba Redondo launched the first attacks, before Teresa came up with the clearest chance for Toril’s team. The midfielder tried from distance with a powerful shot in the 9th minute, but Tarazona once again showed her great form by flying to prevent, for the moment, the first goal of the match.
The goal would end up going to the visitors in the 22nd minute from the penalty spot. The referee signalled a penalty by Eva Alonso on Redondo and Weir was responsible for deceiving Tarazona to score the 0-1. The Scot, not content with that goal, also wanted to leave her mark on the second of the afternoon by changing roles with Alba Redondo. The Madrid number ’10’ assisted the Albacete native with a backheel to make it 0-2 just 5 minutes later.
Levante were not going to give up despite the adversity and before the break they had the opportunity to show that they could do a lot with little. The first clear warning to Misa Rodríguez came from an extension. Érika González tried from distance and got a false reward from a corner kick that would end up being another clear chance for Linda Caicedo who failed to finish off the counterattack with what could have been the third goal. Levante did succeed in the next set piece action. Eva Alonso hit Real Madrid hard by scoring the 1-2 on the stroke of half-time and made it clear to the Toril team that they were going to have to work hard for the victory in the second half.
A single goal deficit on the scoreboard is a double-edged sword in football and Real Madrid, well aware of these situations, made the decision to play out the game under control of the ball. Any approach by Levante through Chacón was neutralised by an immense effort by Lakrar, while María Méndez, her partner in the centre of defence, unsuccessfully sought the third from a set piece.
Levante came close to equalising
The introduction of Inés Rizo, together with the good work on the pitch of Daniela Arques , was to give Ángel Saiz’s team a boost to gain ground with the ball towards a possible equaliser, something that the visitors limited with the entry onto the pitch of Olga Carmona, to form a double wing on the left wing, and Naomie Feller, back after injury. As a result, Real Madrid would regain attacking bite thanks to the white captain who assisted Alba Redondo for a new goal, but the flag of the assistants gave Levante back the hope of pulling off a surprise.
With Gravante making his debut for the home team and changes in defensive profile for Toril’s team, the final minutes were full of tension where Real Madrid knew how to resist to end up taking the three points from Buñol. The victory puts the Whites two points behind Barcelona, who this weekend face Espanyol in the Catalan derby.
