Real Madrid Women claimed a 3-1 victory over Valencia in the fourth round of the Primera División Femenina on September 19th. The result keeps them second in the table with ten points from four matches, while Valencia remain at the bottom with zero points from four defeats. It was the sort of match where one side controls the tempo and the other tries to survive it.
Real Madrid struck twice in quick succession before Valencia could settle. E. Senss opened the scoring in the twenty-sixth minute, and F. Schroder added a second five minutes later. Valencia had already seen L. Perez Sanchez booked in the thirty-seventh, which meant they were playing with one eye on discipline rather than on creating chances. By then the pattern was clear enough.
Valencia pulled a goal back through D. Marcano in the sixty-ninth, but Real Madrid had already responded with A. del Castillo's late strike in stoppage time. The visitors made several changes — M. Mascarell and S. Prat came on together in the sixty-third minute, while N. Campos and L. Perez Sanchez were among those brought on later. Real Madrid also rotated, with F. Schroder and C. De La Cuerda both replaced during the second half.
And here's the thing about this one — we had backed Real Madrid to win, at eighty-seven per cent confidence, and the match unfolded exactly as expected. They worked the channels, kept possession, and when Valencia came for a cross they never reached it. One mistake ends it, and Valencia had two or three in the opening third.
The statistics told you what the eye had already seen. Real Madrid had seventy per cent of possession, registered six shots on target against three, and created opportunities without necessarily finishing them — they registered zero big chances despite the scoreline. Valencia managed fifty per cent shot accuracy on their three attempts, which is efficient but not enough when you are not getting the ball into dangerous areas.
The result leaves Real Madrid firmly in second place, three points behind the leaders with a game in hand on some sides. Valencia are still searching for their first point, and the gap between them and safety is widening. It was a day where three or four moments decided everything, and the rest was just noise.
