Valencia CF Femenino - Athletic Club
- 68' Pauleta
- Pinedo (p.) 43'
- P. Zugasti 86'
LocationAntonio Puchades , Paterna
Zugasti gives Lionesses hard-fought win over Valencia CF
Athletic Club Women picked up their first away victory of the campaign thanks to goals from Pinedo and Zugasti
Clara Pinedo and Patricia Zugasti, with goals in each half, made sure the Lionesses took all three points in a vibrant 1-2 win against Valencia CF.
It was a true battle between two talented teams, with both sides having plently of chances in the second half.
There was little to separate them in the first 45. Maite Zubieta and Maddi Torre had Athletic best efforts, while Ainhoa Alguacil went close for the hosts.
Pinedo broke the deadlock in the 41st minute, converting from the spot after Bibiane Schulze was fouled in the box.
Athletic looked to step it up a level after the break, Ane Azkona and Marta Sanadri almost doubling the Lionesses' lead. However, Valencia were also going strong. Anita Marcos had a shot which skimmed the post and Adriana Nanclares caught a Marina Martí effort.
The home team pushed hard for an equaliser and found it when a Pauleta shot took a deflection and went in. It was a massive boost for Valencia, who then put Athletic under a lot of pressure for the next few minutes.
With everything still to play for in the closing stages, David Aznar rolled the dice and brought on all the forwards he could. It worked well as in the 85th minute Paula Arana found Zugasti in the box for her first goal of the season.
The strike silenced the ground and Athletic dug in deep to make sure they brought all three points back to Bilbao,a first win on the road this season.
