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By Ebenezer Bajela.
Super Falcons duo Charity Adule and Rasheedat Ajibade will come up against each other when Alhama and Atlético de Madrid Femenino clash in the first semi-final of the Copa de la Reina on Tuesday (today) at the Municipal Stadium of Butarque, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Barcelona, winners of the competition in the last three editions, are not in the competition after being disqualified due to improper alignment in the round of 16.
The Catalans’ absence means that this year’s competition will be one of the most open and interesting finals in recent years.
The Spanish women’s league came to an end on Sunday and attention has now turned to the Queen’s Cup.
The Rojiblancas already claimed the trophy in 2016 and now they dream of repeating that feat, something that Alhama aspire to achieve for the first time in their history.
Atletico head into the encounter as favourites after finishing in fourth position in the table, while Alhama, who were relegated on Sunday, ended the season in 15th position with only Alaves the club behind them.
Heading into today’s clash, the Rojiblancas on Sunday thrashed Granadilla 4-0 and will be in good form against Alhama, who are without a win in their last eight games.
Atlético are unbeaten in 12 consecutive games since the December 11 loss to Real Madrid, including wins over Real Sociedad and Granada in the Copa de la Reina, en route to their place in the final four.
With Champions League hope dented after finishing in fourth position, winning the Copa de la Reina is a golden opportunity for Atlético to wrap up this campaign on a high, with an eye on the 2023/24 season.
The Rojiblancas, finalists on three occasions after their triumph in 2016, do not want to miss this opportunity and will go for everything.
With their talisman Ludmila ruled out for the rest of the season, manager Manolo Cano will be banking on Ajibade, who inspired The Mattresses with a goal and assist in their victory over Sociedad.
For their part, Alhama are the Cinderella story of the competition. The Murcians have come this far after having left behind teams as powerful as Granadilla Tenerife, who they beat 1-0 in the quarter-finals and Levante, who bowed out in the round of 16 after a 5-3 defeat to Alhama.
They had also surpassed Valencia, Elche and Bizkerre.
The players from Alhama El Pozo arrive especially motivated, wanting to give their fans something to cheer about after dropping from the topflight.
Versatile midfielder Adule has been one of their outstanding players this season and would be hoping to end the campaign with a winners medal.