Barça 5-1 Madrid CFF: Lead extended
Barça cruised to a convincing 5-1 victory over Madrid CFF at the Estadi Johan Cruyff Stadium, strengthening their position at the top of the Liga F table. The win came on a special day for the blaugranes as it also featured two special milestones: Ewa Pajor's 100th appearance for Barça and Marta Torrejóns 500th match in the Barça shirt.
Goals before half time
Barça Femení dominated possession and created danger from the opening minutes, with a shot from Pina striking the crossbar and a fine save from Belén preventing the Catalan midfielder from opening the scoring. Facing a well-organised and defensive opponent, Pere Romeu’s side kept pressing until Brugts took advantage of a slip by Hickmann in the 39th minute to make it 1-0 and reward Barça's dominance..
The goal eased the pressure on Barça and just before the break, the blaugranes struck again, an unmarked Pajor made no mistake in scoring for 2-0. The Polish forward thus celebrated her 100th match in a Barça shirt with a goal, capping a first half dominated by the home side.
Second half celebration
After the break, Barça maintained control and managed their lead calmly, giving the Madrid side very few opportunities. Pere Romeu took advantage to make several changes with the upcoming Champions League fixture against Arsenal in mind. The introduction of Marta Torrejón, celebrating her 500th appearance for Barça, was one of the most special moments of the afternoon. The veteran defender immediately contributed to the celebration by providing an assist for Carla Julià, who extended the lead in the 68th minute.
The Barça festival continued with a stunning goal from Patri, who smashed a powerful shot into the top corner to make it 4-0, and then Pina completed a fine team move involving Mayssa, Patri, and Carla Julià to score Barça's fifth goal in the 79th minute. Konan pulled one back for Madrid CFF, but the scoreline remained unchanged thereafter. The final 5-1 victory, combined with Real Madrid's draw against Athletic Club, allowed Barça to extend their lead at the top of Liga F to four points and head into their European clash with Arsenal full of confidence.¡
MATCH STATS
BARÇA, 5
MADRID CFF, 1
Barça: Cata Coll; Sydney, Aïcha (Van Asten, min 60), Martina, Brugts (Carla Julià, min 60); Rosalía, Serrajordi (Mayssa, min, 74) Pina; Graham (Patri, min 60), Pajor, Kerolin
Madrid CFF: Belén de Gracia; Villafañe, Taylor, Lejeune, Hickmann (Konan, min 71); Carrasco (Holt, min 46), Ana González (Paula León, min 75), Rivas, Sofía Hernández; Ubamba (Alba Ruiz, min 53), Diki (Mariana Silva, min 75)
Goals: 1-0, Brugts (min 39); 2-0, Pajor (min 45+1); 3-0, Carla Julià (min 68); 4-0, Patri (min 73); 5-0, Pina (min 79); 5-1, Konan (min 82).