There will be a Madrid derby in the final of the Copa de la Reina. After Atlético’s outing in the first semifinal against Alhama, Real did not encounter much opposition from Athletic in the Butarque match either. With three goals in the first half, the first two from the essential Caroline Weir, in which the Scotsman showed her edge, and another from the Cantabrian Athenea del Castillo, the white team resolved a match in which the rojiblancas appeared too tender. Without veteran players on the pitch, the Bilbaons lacked breath in the semifinal.
The glaring example came with Madrid’s fourth goal. Athletic took center, Oguiza lost possession while calling for a foul that was not, and the meringue bullets were already with the ball in the area, for Weir to score again after Zubieta’s error, a negative protagonist in several actions. Afterwards, the Scotsman, having accomplished her mission with a hat-trick, went to rest to think about the final on Saturday.
Real did not need to overwhelm Athletic, or create dozens of scoring chances to demonstrate their prevalence in the match. He had the right arrivals and controlled the game strictly necessary to meet his goals. That was enough for him, because Athletic treats the ball well but continues to be a growing group after its best players have retired or sought accommodation in more powerful teams.
So by minute 6, Madrid had already taken the lead after an action by Feller, which Weir controlled wonderfully, to beat Quiñones on a perfectly executed chip. In the second for the Scotsman, luck was somewhat on her side, because after the assist from the right, his shot bounced off Zubieta and misled the rojiblanca goalkeeper.
Before reaching half an hour, Madrid already had Athletic on the ropes, and the punishment was extended with a goal from Athenea, who pushed the ball after Feller came from behind to cross. Then, the Toril players let Athletic play, who had the ball at their feet, but barely passed midfield, due to Madrid’s higher quality. The white team did not care that their rival was wearing out in the attempt. Every time they pressed, they put the Bilbao defense in trouble, which had lost Valdezate very soon.
The second half began with a defensive disaster for Athletic, who conceded the fourth, and the game ended there. With Misa, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, bored in her area, only Quiñones worked on several actions, although the changes decaffeinated Real, who settled for what they had, already thinking about the final against Atlético.
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