Barcelona Femeni took the initiative to maintain their nine-point lead at the top of the Liga F rankings on Sunday when they defeated Real Betis away from home. The league champions were 6-0 winners in a game where they utterly dominated their opposition and dictated the tempo of the game from start to finish.
Barcelona had five different goalscorers in the game with Bruna Vilamala, Esmee Brugts, Caroline Graham Hansen (2), Vicky Lopez, and Aitana Bonmati all getting their names on the scoresheet. The Norwegian forward scored a brace and Barcelona’s youngest goalscorer put up a performance that won her the Player of the Match award.
Here are a few things that were noticed during the game:
Squad depth
Barcelona named an 18-man squad for the trip to Seville and yet their were huge changes made from the lineup that started against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
For starters, Caroline Graham Hansen was the only starter amongst Barcelona’s deadly attacking trio present in the starting eleven, with Mariona Caldentey coming on later in the second half. Ingrid Engen, Ona Batlle, Keira Walsh, and Aitana Bonmati were all brought on in the second half, while Lucy Bronze and Salma Paralluelo were not allowed to make an appearance.
Young players like Martina Fernandez, Lucia Corrales, Bruna Vilamala, Claudia Pina, and Vicky Lopez started the game and put up impressive performances with the latter being named Player of the Match after the game. Despite the massive injection of youth into the squad, Barcelona still won with a scoreline of 6-0 with four of those goals coming in the first 45 minutes.
Graham can’t stop scoring
Caroline Graham Hansen continued her fine form in front of goal as the Norwegian forward bagged a brace of goals against Real Betis scoring one apiece in each half. Graham has been one of the three deadly trio spearheading Barcelona’s attack this season and continues to add to her tally with every game played.
Her brace against Betis makes it her 14th goal in 16 games in all competitions this season. Graham Hansen is currently leading the league’s goal scoring chart with 12 goals, one goal ahead of Atletico Madrid forward Sheila Guijarro (11 goals)
The winning streak continues
Barca Femeni is yet to lose a game this season, and their win against Betis keeps their invincible run going. Since the start of the season, Barcelona has won all games played in all competitions, and they remain the only unbeaten team in the Liga F this season.
Their incredible winning streak has seen them remain at the top of Liga F, as well as make secure their postion as favorites to retain the league crown once again. In similar fashion, they top their group standings in the Champions League and have secured qualification into the knockout stages.
Overall, Barcelona women’s team of young players mixed with experienced veterans were more than enough to see off Real Betis and continue their winning streak.
Barcelona play again on January 31 when they travel to face Benfica in the last group stage game of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
