Kanteh’s goal in the 73rd minute gave the Yellows’ joy in Lezama
Villarreal Women will play another season in the top flight of Spanish women’s football! The Yellows needed a point to secure survival and, thanks to Fatou Kanteh’s goal in the 73rd minute, they achieved their goal and will be in the Liga F next season.
Sara Monforte warned in the press conference prior to the game against the Basque side that the Yellows would not speculate in trying to secure the point they needed to secure survival. And so it was. Villarreal Women looked for a goal from the opening minutes to break the initial deadlock. The first ten minutes of the game were played in the home side’s half and the away side had chances early on.
In the 8th minute of the game Maria Llompart put a ball into the heart of the box and Sheila, with her head, laid it off to Paola Soldevila, who came close to giving Villarreal Women the lead, but Amaia, attentive, stopped the midfielder’s shot.
The Yellows continued to push forward in search of the opening goal. María Llompart, inspired in her passing, constantly filtered passes to Fatou Kanteh, who time and again threatened in behind. Sheila, her partner up front today, also tried her luck with a long-range shot which Amaia blocked twice. We reached the half hour mark and Villarreal Women were still in control of the game.
In the 32nd minute only the post prevented Villarreal Women from taking the lead. Nerea Pérez played a perfect pass behind the Basque defence for Kanteh who, inside the box, left a home defender on the ground with an excellent cutback and then shot against the woodwork. The Yellows, close to half-time, deserved to be ahead on the scoreboard.
The match went into half-time with a goalless draw.
Villarreal came out with the same intensity in the second half. Albeta got to the byline and put in a cross that Sheila came close to heading home. However, Athletic Club took the lead in the next move through Ortega.
Sara Monforte moved the bench looking for a reaction from her team. Pancha Lara, Estefa and Tere Morató came on in the second half in search of an equaliser.
And Kanteh unleashed madness in Lezama! It was the 73rd minute of the game when the forward, alone in the box, shot at goal. Amaia made the first save, but Fatou, with the rebound, made no mistake and equalised the match. The result was enough for Villarreal Women to become a first division team, but there were still more than 15 minutes to go.
Villarreal Women were able to hold on until the end to hold on to the result and, in fact, had chances to take the lead. In the end, Athletic Club and Villarreal Women played out a draw. The yellows will be a top-flight team for another year.
Lineups:
Athletic Club: Amaia; Amaia Martínez, Valdezate (m. 46, Landaluze), Naroa, Eunate; Elexpuru, Mariana (m. 56, Oguiza), Y. Corres (m. 46, Monente), Itxaso, S. Ortega; Nekane (m. 68, Azkona).
Villarreal Women: C. Carbonell; Giménez, Lara Mata, C. Cubedo, Albeta (m. 66, Estefa); Nerea (m. 66, Tere), Cienfu, Soldevila, M. Llompart (m. 54, F. Lara); Kanteh, Sheila (m. 79, Claudia I.).
Goals: 1-0. Min. 48: S. Ortega. 1-1. Min. 73: Kanteh.
Referee: Paola Cebollada López. Booked: Oguiza (Athletic Club); María Llompart (Villarreal).
Matchday information: Match corresponding to Gameweek 30 of the 2022/23 Finetwork Liga F season between Athletic Club and Villarreal Women, at Lezama.
