Primera Iberdrola Roundup: Sporting Huelva get a much needed win to start their year

With the title race seemingly all but over, it was the other end of the table that caught the attention in the Primera Iberdrola. Teams returned from the winter break looking to correct whatever had gone wrong in the first half of the season, and try to push as far up the table as they possibly could.

Sporting Club de Huelva have done everything in their power up until this point to register their first win of the season and couldn’t do it. They had to wait five months before it finally happened. Against Valencia CF Femenino, the struggling Andalusian side found two goals and kept the visitors out to get their first three points of the season.

Mayra Ramírez came in with a late run to score the first of her two goals in the 69th minute after Sporting Huelva had spend most of the first half testing Noelia Gil in Valencia’s goal. Gil consistently made important saves to keep Valencia in the game but she could do nothing about Ramírez’ second in the 86th minute.

After battling with a defender near the byline, Ramírez quickly looked to put in a cross which didn’t find a teammate but instead, curled into the far corner from an acute angle. Who knows if Ramírez meant to do that but it was a fantastic goal all the same.

Sporting Huelva stay in fourteenth after this result but will want to build on such an impressive performance out the gates in 2022. Valencia stay in twelfth but will not want to produce the same kind of performance as they just did too often in the future. They’re only six points away from the relegation zone and cannot afford too many slip ups from here on out.

• Even with so much of the season to go, it would take an unheard of collapse to stop FC Barcelona Femení from retaining their title. They traveled to UD Granadilla Tenerife for their first game of this year and thumped the hosts 7-0. Lieke Martens got a brace, Caroline Graham Hansen, Fridolina Rolfö, Patricia Guijarro and Asisat Ohsoala got the other goals for the visitors, while Raquel Peña scored an own goal to top off a miserable day for Granadilla. The champions stay on top and eleven points clear of their nearest challengers. Granadilla stay in fourth, still in the hunt for a Champions League place.
• Real Sociedad Femenino hosted Athletic Club Femenino as they looked to strengthen their grip on second in the league. In a tightly contested affair, Nerea Eizagirre found the only goal of the game and gave Socieded their first win of 2022. Sociedad’s great season continues and keeps them well within the chance of finishing in a Champions League spot when all is said and done. Athletic stay in fifth, five points off of third. They also still have a chance to make a run for one of the top three places and qualify for Champions League football next season.
• Sevilla FC Feminino started their 2022 campaign with a 2-1 win away at Madrid CFF. After ending their 2021 with a loss, coming back to the season with a win would’ve been exactly what they wanted. Rosa Otermín put them ahead early with a penalty but Cristina Librán pulled Madrid CFF level again late in the second half. Eli del Estal then found what proved to be the game-winner four minutes later, giving Sevilla a much-needed win. Sevilla moved up into eighth with the win while Madrid CFF fell below their opponents this weekend into ninth.
• Villarreal CF Femenino are having a tough season so far but they started this year well with a 3-1 home win against Deportivo Alavés Gloriosas. Sheila Guijarro put Villarreal ahead with a well-taken penalty before Teresa Morató scored two more goals to earn the three points. Lice Chamorro got one back for Alavés but it wasn’t enough to prevent them from staying rooted in seventh place. Villarreal are still in fifteenth but this win will give them some hope of pushing themselves out of the relegation zone by the end of the season.
• Rayo Vallecano Femenino’s dreadful season continues (which isn’t helped by the complete lack of support from its parent club) as they lost 1-0 to SD Eibar on their first matchday back from the break. It took a stoppage time goal from Racheal Kundananji to give Eibar the win but they won’t mind that at all. Rayo stay rooted to the bottom of the league as they succumbed to their twelfth loss this season. Eibar stay in thirteenth but are one point away from Valencia in twelfth.
• The winter break did not seem to do Levante UD Femenino any favours as they came back and promptly lost to Real Betis Féminas. A seventh minute goal by Eva Llamas proved to be enough for the home side to come way with three points and keep themselves in eleventh. Levante, who haven’t won a game since November 20th, slid down the table into tenth, with Betis just one point behind them now.