Barça sweats blood to overcome Tenerife's wall

Sant Joan DespíBarça struggled, but secured an important victory to extend their lead at the top of Liga F. Without Ona Batlle, Patri Guijarro, Kika Nazareth, Salma Paralluelo, and Aitana Bonmatí – to whom her teammates dedicated a supportive jersey after a A fracture in her left fibula will keep her off the field for a minimum of five months.Pere Romeu rested Laia Aleixandri and Claudia Pina with Wednesday's Champions League match in mind. However, the Blaugrana ran into a brick wall in the Canary Islands' defense, and the Catalan coach had to field his starters to secure the victory. Goals from Ewa Pajor and Alexia Putellas in the final minutes handed Tenerife their first away defeat of the season.

A lackluster first half from Barça, who controlled possession but barely created any danger for Nay Cáceres' goal. Tenerife came out with a clear game plan: well-positioned in their own half and looking to exploit the speed of their forwards. This style of play forced Irene Paredes and Marta Torrejón, who were very attentive to both players, to maintain maximum concentration to break up the opposition's attacks.

The good news from the first 45 minutes was the impressive performance of Carla Julià. The large number of absences allowed the Barcelona full-back to enjoy her first start in La Liga F. The defender almost created the first Barça goal with a through ball to Pajor. The Polish forward – after rounding the goalkeeper – laid the ball off to Alexia, who went down inside the area. Pere Romeu requested a VAR review, but the referee didn't deem it a foul.

The pichichi Ewa Pajor

Pere Romeu looked to make changes at halftime. While Alexia Putellas started on the left wing in the first half, Vicky López took over in the second, with the midfielder from Mollet moving into a more central role. Sydney Schertenleib and Pajor had two chances to break the deadlock, and the referee—who minutes earlier had reviewed a possible red card for Irene Paredes after a clash with Gramaglia—went back to the monitor for a handball that she ultimately didn't call. But when the initial plan, which was to rest Laia Aleixandri, Mapi León, and Claudia Pina, doesn't work, you have to go all out.

The Catalan coach brought on Aleixandri, Pina, Mapi León, and Brugts – who was returning from injury and played his 100th match for Barça – to try and secure three important points in the title race, as their two pursuers – Real Madrid and Real Sociedad – were facing off at 7 pm. After attempts by Pina, Vicky, and Graham Hansen, which Nay Cáceres managed to save, Aïcha Cámara appeared on the right wing to break through the Canary Islands' defensive wall. The Sabadell native used her time to assist Pajor, who made no mistake with the empty net.

The Catalan team kept pressing, now more relaxed with the lead, and their efforts paid off: a cross from the right by Graham Hansen was headed home by Alexia to secure the victory. Barça endured a tense finish, but earned three points that will allow them to distance themselves, at least, from one of their two closest rivals. However, Romeu had to use all of his available starting players to finish the match.