After a three-week international break, Liga F returned. In matchday 26, Real Madrid hosted DUX Logroño and were aiming for their 20th league win of the season. In the end, however, they had to settle for a surprising 1:1 draw after Logroño equalised in the final moments.
The hosts had recently won 2:0 away at Madrid CFF, while Logroño came into the match with confidence after a 2:1 home win against Sevilla FC.
As expected, Real Madrid started as the stronger side and created danger in front of goal as early as the first minute. It did not take long for the opening goal to arrive. Linda Caicedo controlled the ball just outside the box, drove into the penalty area with only a few touches and calmly slotted it past Logroño goalkeeper María Miralles.
The following minutes were played almost exclusively in the visitors’ half. Whenever Logroño managed to move the ball forward, it was quickly recovered and brought back under control.
As the game went on, it began to lose intensity, with the tempo already dropping after the opening quarter of an hour. Before the break, Real Madrid came close to making it 2:0 on several occasions, but the second goal never came.
The second half did not offer much more excitement for the 1131 spectators at the Alfredo di Stefano. Lotte Keukelaar provided a brief highlight when her shot was cleared off the line at the last moment by defender Rebeca Costa da Silva. Apart from that, there was little indication that Real Madrid were pushing to secure points in the race for second place, while Logroño were fighting to avoid relegation.
While David Hernandez’s side delivered a solid defensive performance against what is, on paper, a much stronger team, Las Blancas were disappointing going forward. At the back they allowed very little, and substitute goalkeeper Merle Frohms was rarely called into action, but in attack they lacked cutting edge. In the final third, there was a clear lack of creativity and determination. Star forward Athenea was absent from the squad for unknown reasons, raising the question of whether her absence played a role.
As the game approached its end and some spectators began to lose focus, it suddenly came to life again. After several injury-related stoppages, the referee added ten minutes of stoppage time. Logroño threw everything forward and pinned Real Madrid back in their own half. Deep into the final minute of added time, Logroño struck with a late equaliser, catching Real Madrid completely off guard and turning the match into a painful 1:1. Following a precise cross from Rebeca Costa, Annelie Leitner rose highest in the centre of the box and headed the ball into the bottom right corner. What followed was pure celebration, as the entire team, including the staff, ran to the goalscorer and celebrated wildly.
A goal in the final seconds that turned the game on its head and secured Logroño a point that had seemed highly unlikely.
What had long looked like a routine win for Real Madrid ended in a frustrating 1:1 draw that felt like a loss for the home side, but like a victory for the visitors. In the opening minutes, it seemed as though Madrid would comfortably beat Logroño, who were sitting in 14th place, but the match gradually drifted into a rather lifeless affair. For the team in second place, it is another point on the board, but not one they can be satisfied with.
Real Madrid travel to Sevilla next weekend for their next league match. Logroño will host another team from the Spanish capital, Madrid CFF, at home.