Real Madrid Femenino defeated Madrid CFF 2-0 away from home after losing the Copa de la Reina Quarter-Finals against the same opponent. Below are my immediate thoughts. Player ratings and post-match podcast to follow.
David Aznar presented a starting XI that had fans groaning. They were in the same formation (4-2-3-1) and reflected much of the same personnel in the 2-1 defeat to Madrid CFF bar a few key exceptions: Misa in goal, right back Marta Corredera as a left-winger, and Sofia Jakobsson up top. It was the Corredera bit that was especially tiresome for Madridistas. It has been tried before and to generally poor results, though she has scored one of the few times she’s been deployed there. The experiment looked largely ineffective in the first half. She made one good run into the box but looked out of place offering herself in possession and her attempted combinations and final third passing were significantly off the mark.
Player Ratings: Madrid CFF 2 - 1 Madrid CFF; Copa de la Reina Quarter-Finals
Asllani was the best player on a tough night where Las Blancas got knocked out of the Copa de la Reina in extra time.
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Real Madrid Femenino lost in the quarterfinals of the Copa de la Reina 2-1 against Madrid CFF. It took 120 minutes to settle this one-legged tie. Madrid CFF scored in the third minute via a Geyse Ferreira tap-in. Las Blancas got one back in the 77th minute when Maite Oroz won a penalty and Kosovare Asllani tied the match from the spot. In the second half of extra time, Priscila Borja’s cross found the back of the net and Real Madrid were unable to respond.
The Nigeria international has continued to play a key role to help Madrid keep alive their Champions League dreams, and she made the best of her starting role with a 2-1 extra-time win over Real.
Madrid CFF had made a promising start to the encounter when Brazilian forward Geyse opened the scoring for the hosts, after just three minutes of action, thanks to Chikwelu s brilliant assist.
After the break, Real fought their way back into the contest when they were handed a penalty and Sweden international Kosovare Asllani converted from the spot to force the tie to a stalemate at full-time.
Managing Madrid Podcast: Mailbag (Florentino / ESL edition); Las Blancas vs Madrid CFF
Kiyan Sobhani and Lucas Navarrete answer all your questions in a Real Madrid mailbag; while Grant Little and Om Arvind break down the Las Blancas vs Madrid CFF game
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This Patron-only episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast comes in two parts.
Part One: Las Blancas with Om Arvind and Grant Little
Recurring tactical issues with the double pivot
Aurélie Kaci’s exhaustion
Real Madrid Femenino not looking prepared for the opposition’s intensity
Las Blancas’ poor set-piece defense
Why Real Madrid performed better after the break
Real Madrid came out with a greater sense of urgency and desperation in the second half. The likes of Marta Cardona started to become more audacious. Having already tried a speculative long shot that struck the post before the break, Cardona upped her level of involvement and placed an incredible left-footed cross onto the head of Jessica Martínez. However, the Paraguayan could only direct the header on target.
Asllani also looked to force her team back into the game, dropping deep like a central midfielder and helping Real progress past a dialed down press. This freed up Maite, who enjoyed the breathing space and began to attempt shots from distance.