October 31, (THEWILL) –Â Barcelona Femeni’s 8-1 victory over Real Sociedad at their Estadi Johan Cruyff grounds on Sunday was simply more of the same, with the Primera Iberdrola winners scoring freely while keeping compact in defence.
On paper, the game did not appear to be an easy challenge, with Real Sociedad in excellent form and only three points behind the leaders entering the game.
From the first whistle, the Basque squad applied pressure, but Barça grabbed control with a brace each from Super Falcons’ captain Asisat Oshoala and Lieke Martens, as well as strikes from Fridolina Rolfö, Jenni Hermoso, and Clà udia Pina, to totally overrun the visitors, who had to contend with an own goal as well.
Bruna Vilamala, who suffered a terrible injury while playing for the Spanish U-23s earlier in the week, received a lot of support. The starting eleven wore shirts with the message “Ànims, Bruna” on them when they took the field.
Sandra Panos was honoured for playing in her 200th match for FC Barcelona during a pre-match ceremony. Xavier Puig, the club’s women’s team director, presented Panos with a commemorative jersey bearing the number.
Barca knew they were up against a tough opponent from kickoff. The visitors pressed hard from the start, making it difficult for Oshoala and co to play out from the back. However, the home team took the lead when Rolfö pounced on a rebound from a corner to break the deadlock.
Sociedad, on the other hand, did not lay down their challenge, as Franssi equalised with a shot from distance. The visitors became more confident as a result, and they produced a few chances, but Barca were perfectly positioned to suffocate any threat.
By the time Oshoala headed in the second goal in the 23rd minute, the game had swung in Barca’s favour, and several more chances to extend the lead followed, culminating in another goal from Oshoala with the away keeper out of position. It was the 11th goal for the Nigerian captain this season in Barca colours.
Barca dominated after the interval, with the game moving at a slower tempo. After 62 minutes, Oshoala turned provider for Martens, increasing the score to 4-1. After an assist from Alexia, Jenni Hermoso put the ball in the net three minutes later.
Even after Torre scored an own goal while attempting to clear the ball, the goals still did not stop. Martens scored with three minutes remaining, giving Barca their 50th goal of the season after only eight games in the Primera Iberdrola.
Claudia Pina curled in a great strike with time remaining to make it 8-1 for another resounding victory that put Jonatan Giráldez’s club six points ahead of today’s opponents in the table.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
