October 15, (THEWILL) – Barcelona faced one of their toughest away fixtures of the season on Sunday, taking on Atlético Madrid with Alexia Putellas finding the 1-0 winner for a historic personal record.
Despite dominating possession, the visiting Barcelona ladies struggled to break down Atletico’s stubborn defence in the first half. Chances were few and far between for the visitors, but especially for the hosts, in the opening 45 minutes as Nigerian forward, Rasheedat Ajibade, struggled to create chances.
Six minutes after the restart, the breakthrough finally came. Putellas, Barcelona’s captain, fired home her 182nd goal for the club, surpassing the previous record held by María Ángeles Parejo. Whilst not a classic Barcelona performance, Putellas’ historic strike was enough to claim all three points.
The goal failed to open the floodgates, however, as Atlético remained resolute. Asisat Oshoala replaced the history-making Putellas in the 77th minute before the home side came close to snatching a late equaliser. Cata Coll went for goal and only a superb save from Barcelona keeper, Sandra Panos, kept Barca’s noses in front.
Barcelona held on though, making it back-to-back victories over Atlético and Real Sociedad. Despite not being at their free-flowing best, Barcelona continue their impressive start to the season.
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.
