… as teenager Vicky Lopez makes el clasico history
Barcelona cruised to their ninth successive Liga F win and 12th El Clasico victory in a row with a resounding 5-0 win over Real Madrid in the teams’ first meeting of the season on Sunday at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
First half goals from Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen and Mariona Caldentey put Barca firmly in control before the break.
Claudia Pina struck late on to make sure of the three points, before Barcelona’s youngest goalscorer, 17-year-old Vicky Lopez, became the youngest player to score in an El Clasico match.
Bonmati opened the scoring with a brilliant low strike, which Madrid goalkeeper Maria Rodriguez got a hand to but couldn’t keep out of the net.
Hansen came close to adding a second for Barcelona just before the break when she received the ball just inside the area, shifted it onto her left and curled a shot towards the back post which rattled the woodwork.
Hansen squandered a golden opportunity a couple of minutes later when she blasted an effort over the bar from a near-open goal.
Salma Paralluelo broke into the box and tested Rodriguez who made a low save to deny the Spaniard but could only parry the ball into Hansen’s path who missed the target from close range.
However, Barcelona eventually got their second when Hansen was in the right place at the right time to convert another Paralluelo rebound.
The winger smashed the crossbar with a shot from outside the box and Hansen was quickest to pick up the loose ball before slamming into the net.
Caldentey gave Barcelona a commanding first half lead on the stroke of half-time when she found the top right corner with a delicately curled effort following a corner.
The second half sailed by without much incident until Madrid winger and Golden Girl winner Linda Caicedo suffered a painful-looking ankle injury with around ten minutes left to play.
She got her right ankle caught under goalkeeper Catalina Coll as the pair collided in an attempt to win the ball, with Caicedo coming off worse as she seemed to roll her joint.
Caicedo, who was one of the brightest prospects on the market when she signed for Madrid during the summer, was forced off after the injury as she hobbled off the pitch in visible discomfort.
Barcelona scored two late goals in additional time through Pina and Lopez, who became the youngest goalscorer in El Clasico history.
Second-place Madrid were soundly beaten as Barca comfortably saw out another victory and extended their lead at the top of the table to six points.
