Deportivo takes an important three points against Athletic Club with a narrow win in Lezama
Deportivo La Coruña achieved a valuable away victory against Athletic Club in a Spanish Liga F match, defeating the home team 1:0 at the Instalaciones de Lezama Campo 2 pitch in Lezama. According to ESPN's football scoreboard, the match ended 0:1, and Deportivo thereby confirmed that even in low-scoring matches it can collect points that carry considerable weight in the final stage of the league season. Although the original match data was taken from ESPN's results overview of May 23, 2026, Deportivo La Coruña's official announcement states that the match was played on Saturday, May 9, 2026, as part of the 28th round of Liga F. In its report, the Galician club emphasized that the victory was achieved against a strong opponent and that it had special importance for the standings. The only goal, according to the club announcement and the summary from Liga F's official channel, was scored by Ainhoa Marín in the 55th minute.
For Deportivo, this victory was more than an ordinary away success. A team that had been fighting for stability in the lower part of the table during the season won a match in which it had to withstand the home side's pressure, use one of the key chances and then defend a minimal advantage. Athletic Club had phases of play in which it threatened, especially after conceding the goal, but Deportivo left Lezama with the full haul. Such results often have additional value because they bring not only three points, but also confirmation that the team can remain organized in a demanding away environment. According to the Galician club's report, coach Fran Alonso assessed the victory as very important for his team.
A match with little space and great value for the visitors
The match in Lezama opened cautiously, without a large number of clear chances in the opening minutes. According to Deportivo La Coruña's report, the first noteworthy attempt came from Paula Gutiérrez, who shot from the edge of the penalty area, but the ball went wide of the goal. Deportivo soon threatened through Ainhoa Marín, who came out in front of the home goalkeeper Romero, but Athletic's goalkeeper stopped her shot with her body. The home team responded through Mendinueta, whose attempt finished just over the goal. Already at that stage it was clear that the match would be decided by details, concentration and efficiency in a small number of genuine chances.
Athletic Club had periods of pressure in the first half, but Deportivo, according to the club report, defended without major shocks. One of the more dangerous home situations came after Aguirre broke through on the left side, entered the penalty area and took a shot, but goalkeeper Inês Pereira reacted very well and pushed the ball out for a corner. That intervention was important because it could have given the home side the lead in a match in which a large number of goals was not expected. Deportivo entered the continuation of the match with a clear idea to remain compact, patient and ready to use a moment of inattention. Exactly such a moment occurred ten minutes after the break.
Ainhoa Marín decided the match in the 55th minute
The decisive moment of the match came in the 55th minute, when Deportivo took the lead after a move down the left side. According to the club's official report, Bárbara broke through on the flank and sent a low ball into the penalty area, where Ainhoa Marín met it. The Deportivo forward was left free enough to calmly finish the move and beat Romero for 0:1. The official Liga F summary also states that Deportivo took all three points from Lezama with a goal by Ainhoa Marín. It was a goal that changed the dynamics of the match, because from that moment the home side had to take more risks, while the visitors could further emphasize defensive discipline and transition play.
Fran Alonso, according to the club announcement, stressed after the match that Athletic started the second half better, but that Deportivo punished its opponent at the moment when it was most difficult for it. Such an assessment describes the course of the match well: the home team entered the second half with more energy, but did not use its strongest period, while the visitors scored from the first more serious situation after the break. After the goal, Athletic increased the pressure and searched for an equalizer, and one of the best chances came to Aguirre, whose shot finished on the post. Deportivo then had to withstand the final attacks, defend the penalty area and control the match without too much possession. The minimal advantage remained until the end, which brought the away team one of its more important victories in that part of the season.
Deportivo reached 30 points after the victory
According to Deportivo La Coruña's official announcement, with this victory the club reached 30 points and climbed to 11th place in the Liga F standings at the time the club report was published. That information is important for understanding the context of the match, because Deportivo was not among the group of clubs fighting for the very top during the season, but had to collect points in order to move away from the more dangerous areas of the table. The away victory against Athletic Club can therefore be seen as a result that brings both mathematical and psychological benefit. In a competition in which the differences between the middle and lower parts of the table can be sensitive, three points away from home carry great weight. Deportivo showed that it can win even when a match does not offer much open space.
ESPN's results overview, accessed on May 23, 2026, showed the match as having ended in a 1:0 victory for Deportivo, with Athletic Club's record standing at 10 wins, eight draws and ten defeats, and Deportivo's record at eight wins, six draws and 14 defeats. These scoreboard data show that the match belonged to the final part of the season, in which each match further shapes the final standings. Although Deportivo's official report refers to the 28th round and the date May 9, the information from ESPN's scoreboard confirms the result and the venue. In such cases, when reporting, it is important to clearly distinguish the date on which the match was played from the date on which the result was accessed in an external overview. This avoids the incorrect presentation that the match was necessarily played on the day when the result was recorded in an external overview.
Athletic remained without effect in the closing stage
Athletic Club did not manage to use either home advantage or the periods of pressure it had before and after conceding the goal in this match. The home side had enough situations to make the match different, but did not find a solution against Deportivo's organized defence and the in-form Inês Pereira. According to the visiting club's report, Athletic went in search of an equalizer after Ainhoa Marín's goal, and the post hit by Aguirre particularly stood out. Such details often decide matches in which one team makes the difference from transition, while the other remains without the final touch in key moments. For Athletic, the defeat meant a missed opportunity to confirm stability in front of its fans in the final stage of the championship.
The home line-up, according to Deportivo's announcement, included Romero, Añorga, Marquínez, Solano, Zaldívar, Elía, Ruiz, Loyo, Mendinueta, Fuente and Aguirre, with substitutions during the second half. Deportivo started with Inês Pereira, Samara, Raquel, Elena, Vera, Lucía Martínez, Paula Gutiérrez, Olaya, Ainhoa Marín, Bárbara and Espe Pizarro. The match report published by the Galician club also states that the match was refereed by Ainara Andrea Acevedo from the Catalan committee. Yellow cards were received by Loyo in the 31st minute, Elena in the 35th minute, Lucía Martínez in the 47th minute and Elía in the 51st minute. These details additionally confirm that the match had a combative rhythm, but without a turnaround in the score after the only goal.
Absences and squad depth also marked the match
Deportivo came to Lezama without several players, which further emphasizes the value of the away result. According to the club's official report, Merle Barth was unavailable because of suspension after accumulated cautions. Millene was injured, Hildah Magaia had shoulder problems awaiting further assessment, and Yohana had soleus discomfort. Marina Artero was not included in the squad because of the loan agreement between the two clubs. In such circumstances, an away victory gains an additional dimension because it shows that the team can compensate for absences and maintain competitiveness against a demanding opponent.
Deportivo's report also states that Lucía Rivas, Paula Novo and Martina Rivas were representatives of the club academy, which shows reliance on a wider squad and young players in the final part of the season. Coaches in such matches often have to balance the need for a result with the limitations imposed by injuries, suspensions or contractual relationships. Deportivo managed to maintain that balance in Lezama. The substitutions in the continuation, including the entrances of Marisa, Henar, Paula Novo, Paula Monteagudo and Lucía Rivas, helped the visiting team preserve intensity and close out the match. When all of that is put into context, the minimal 1:0 looks like a result built on organization, patience and rational match management.
Liga F as a competition in which details increasingly decide
Liga F Moeve in the 2025/2026 season continues to develop as the highest tier of Spanish women's football, and LaLiga's official website points to special sections for the schedule, results, standings and clubs of that competition. In such a system, matches outside the title race also have considerable sporting significance, because they determine the order in the middle of the table, the security of clubs and the continuity of projects. Deportivo La Coruña showed in this match how much one precise attack and a disciplined finish can change a team's position. Athletic Club, on the other hand, can regret the missed chances, especially because in certain phases of the match it created pressure, but did not find a goal. The 0:1 result is therefore not only a number on the scoreboard, but also a summary of a match in which efficiency and defensive concentration prevailed over possession and home pressure.
For Deportivo, the victory in Lezama came as confirmation of work in matches in which a large number of chances cannot be counted on. In such duels it is important to survive crisis minutes, have a goalkeeper ready to react at the key moment and a forward who will use the space when it appears. Inês Pereira and Ainhoa Marín were among the most important figures of the match, the first because of her saves, the second because of the goal that decided the winner. Bárbara's assist additionally emphasized the importance of wide play and quick ball transfer. Deportivo thus took a result in Lezama that is written in the table as three points, but can also be read in the dressing room as proof of character.
A narrow victory with a clear message
Deportivo's victory against Athletic Club shows how valuable results achieved without dominance in all segments of play are in the closing stage of the league season. The visitors did not need a convincing result to achieve a major effect; it was enough to maintain tactical balance, score at the right moment and withstand home pressure. According to the club report, Fran Alonso emphasized after the match that his team knew how to suffer and defend the penalty area, which describes the final part of the match well. Athletic sought a comeback until the end, but Deportivo did not allow the match to go in a direction that would cancel out the goal from the 55th minute. Ultimately, Lezama was for the Galician side a place of important confirmation in a season in which every away point carries special weight.
The 0:1 result will remain recorded as a match in which Ainhoa Marín brought Deportivo three points, and the visitors' defence preserved the advantage despite the pressure from the home side. According to the available information from ESPN's scoreboard, Deportivo's official announcement and the Liga F summary, this was a victory that had a clear competitive effect for the visiting side. Athletic Club was not without chances, but failed to turn pressure into a goal. Deportivo, on the other hand, made the most of its most important attacking moment and confirmed that in Liga F matches are often decided in a few seconds of concentration. That is precisely why this narrow victory has greater weight than the result itself.
Sources:
- ESPN Soccer Scoreboard – overview of Spanish Liga F results with the Athletic Club – Deportivo La Coruña match and venue information (link)
- Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña – official report on Deportivo's 1:0 victory against Athletic Club in Lezama, with match details, scorer, line-ups and the coach's statement (link)
- LALIGA – official website with information on the Liga F Moeve competition, results, schedule, standings and clubs (link)
- Liga F, official YouTube channel – summary of the Athletic Club 0:1 Deportivo ABANCA match with information on Ainhoa Marín's goal (link)