#feat Mapi

[girlgenius1111]

aftershocks

barça x reader

r tries to recover from the accident. it isn't as easy as she anticipates.

cw: panic attack, nightmares.

-----

Alexia was hovering. You'd been home for barely 2 hours, and she was sitting next to you, staring at you as you watched your allowed hour of TV, as if she was going to have to pick you up and take you back to the hospital at a moments notice. Her shoes were still on, her keys in her pocket. You knew was nervous and worried, but you wanted to not feel like a patient. Not when you were finally home. Well, at Alexia's home. Which had been yours before, and would, evidently be it again.

You shifted slightly, and your arm gave a twinge of pain at the movement. You winced unconsciously, barely noticing. Everything hurt, pretty much all the time; this was not anything special.

"What is it?" Alexia asked, sitting forward. She looked panicked, almost, and you had to remind yourself that she had seen you right after the accident. She was traumatized, and she was just looking out for you.

"I'm okay, Ale." You assured her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

She somewhat relaxed back into the couch, though she still looked ready to leap to her feet at a moments notice. You glanced down at your phone, checking the time, feeling only relief when you noticed that it was an appropriate time to go to bed. You were exhausted from the short car ride home from the hospital, and you were also exhausted of being in the presence of people. You loved your teammates, and the nurses and doctors had been incredibly, but you hadn't had a single second to yourself since the accident, and you were dying to just sit. In silence. By yourself.

You stood up, slowly, almost amused by the way Alexia got to her feet right away as well.

"I'm gonna go to bed, Ale, I'm exhausted."

"Good, you need rest. Cariño, do you need help with anything?" You appreciated that she'd asked, instead of just trying to help you.

"Maybe up the stairs, but I'm good from there." You said quietly. You were not, nor had you ever been, good at asking for help. You had to learn, and fast, because you were pretty sure getting up the stairs by yourself was an almost impossible feat.

Alexia smiled encouragingly at you, proud that you'd asked for what you needed, and hadn't just shook off her request for help like she'd expected.

You made your way to the stairs, and Alexia wrapped a careful arm around your back, making sure to avoid your ribs, and your bad arm, and also the bruises that littered most of your abdomen. There were very few places you could be touched right now without feeling pain, and even then, you just had to grit your teeth and get through it if you wanted to be able to move anywhere.

By the time you got to your bed, clinging onto Alexia when she moved to let you go at the top of the stairs, you were sweating a bit, and breathing deeply through the waves of throbbing aches washing over you.

You sat on the edge of the bed, waiting until the waves had subsided somewhat before looking up again. Alexia stood in front of you, and if you didn't know better, you would have thought that she was the only with broken bones by the look on her face, like she was feeling everything you were feeling.

"I'm alright, Ale."

"You should have slept on the couch, the stairs are too much for you. Or maybe you should have stayed with Lucy, or Ingrid and Mapi, they're all on one floor. Maybe tomorrow we can-" Alexia's word flew out of her mouth fast, and you could barely understand what she was saying.

"No. I want to be here. Please." You said, feeling embarrassment grip you tightly at how pathetic you sounded.

"Okay, pequeña." Alexia said easily, although the worry lines on her forehead didn't relent.

She got out your pajamas for you handing them over, before hovering anxiously at your side.

"I've got it Alexia, I promise."

"Yeah, yeah. Of course. I'll be back in a couple to bring you some ice." With that, she left the room, shutting the door behind her. You managed to change by yourself, for the most part. You your athletic shorts off, and the pajama shorts on fine, giving the large bandage covering almost the entirety of the outside of your left leg a wide birth. You got the shirt off too, carefully removing your arm from it's sling, and doing your best to jostle your abdomen as little as possible as you pulled the shirt up and over your head.

It hurt. A lot. Something so simple, and you were biting your lip to keep from crying out. You wanted to lay down, or lean over, or do anything to relax your body a little, but you couldn't do any of those things without help, or else your ribs protested heavily. You gritted your teeth, getting the shirt over your head. You couldn't get it on the rest of the way, though. You would have to wait for Alexia. You were wearing a sports bra, though, so you wouldn't be completely humiliated.

You would be slightly humiliated though. There were tears welling in your eyes, and your shirt hung pathetically around your neck. You sniffled every time you inhaled, and you felt so useless. You couldn't even get your shirt on by yourself. You were frustrated beyond belief, and you couldn't do anything about it because doing anything hurt.

Alexia returned, knocking softly on the door.

"Come in," you said, voice cracking on the last word, much to your dismay.

Alexia walked in cautiously, hearing the motion in your voice.

"I need help." You said, sounding rather dejected.

"That's okay," Alexia said, moving to your side. She tugged the shirt over your arms, carefully. "Anything else?"

"I just want to go to sleep." You admitted. Alexia nodded earnestly, helping you to recline back onto the pillows. She sat on the edge of the bed, next to you. Once you were settled, she placed an ice pack on your ribs, made you drink some water and take some pills, before brushing the hair off your forehead.

"Thanks, Ale." You mumbled.

"Of course. It's going to get easier, pequeña, I promise."

"Yeah." You didn't sound convinced.

Alexia's face lit up after a second.

"I know what will make you feel better!" She got up, rifling through the bags of your stuff on the ground. She found what she was looking for, standing and holding it up with a ridiculous grin. It was your stuffed blue dinosaur, the one you'd slept with since you were a baby. The team always made fun of you because you brought him with you on away trips, until you'd gotten so tired of the teasing, you started leaving him at home.

You slept better with him, though, as ridiculous as it sounded, and you made a mental note to thank Ingrid for stuffing him in the suitcase, and presumably hiding him from Mapi, because if she had seen, you would have heard about it.

"What is his name? Chester?" Alexia said, handing him to you. You tucked him under your good arm, rolling your eyes. Alexia knew his name.

"You know it's Cosmo."

"Right, Christopher."

You rolled your eyes again, but your lips turned up into a smile. Alexia beamed at the sight, happy her idiotic bit had made you smile, even if it was just a bit. "Goodnight, Ale."

"Buenas noches, pequeña. I'll leave my door open, shout if you need me, okay?"

You nodded in the affirmative, and Alexia left you to sleep.

You passed out almost instantly, body and mind drained from your somehow exhausting day. While you'd been in the hospital, you hadn't had any issues sleeping, likely do to the pain medication they'd given you. You didn't dream, and sleeping proved to be a completely peaceful respite, mind wonderfully blank. Now, though, you were just taking over the counter stuff, which did nothing to help you sleep.

They had had a psychologist come talk to you about the accident, but you'd waved her away, saying that you were fine. You thought you were. The car ride home had been slightly terrifying, but you'd really barely thought back to what had happened.

-----

It was more of a memory than a nightmare that hit you, and at first, it felt like you were just remembering the event, than dreaming it. It was as if you were watching the accident from above, yet feeling everything as it was happening to you. It was in slow motion, the car approaching the intersection, you going when the light turned green. You saw the car braking late, tires screeching on the pavement even as the it barreled towards you. You watched yourself turn your head, seeing the car through the visor on your helmet, the way the front wheel of your bike turned just slightly. This was probably what saved your leg, you think.

Then the car is making contact with the bike, and you're flying off towards the ground, rolling for a while, as the bike crashed and slid away, too. Just as you stopped rolling, you snapped back into your body, feeling all of the pain you remembered. Your breath caught in your throat as you writhed around in agony. You were stuck in that moment, the few seconds after the crash you'd been awake, an endless loop of the most you'd ever hurt, and the most scared you'd ever been. The sky was going dark, and you couldn't remember if this was a dream or not, all you could think was that you were sure you were going to die.

-----

Alexia had been in and out of sleep, jerking awake at the smallest noise. She'd checked on you every time she woke up, and each time, found you peacefully asleep. She wasn't sure why she was so worried; you'd been sleeping fine, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to be awake for you.

It was around 3 in the morning when she woke again, hearing what she thought was you crying out. She was frustrated, the last few days having been exhausting for her too, and she had rolled over to go back to sleep, convinced that it was just her imagination again.

She sat straight up in bed a second later though, hearing another sound from the direction of your room. She flew out of bed, down the hall, and into your room, freezing when she saw you thrashing around under the covers. Your face was twisted up in pain, likely from the movements your body was making in your sleep. It was obvious to her what you must be dreaming about.

Alexia moved closer to the bed, heart physically hurting in her chest at the sight of you, tears leaking from behind your shut eyelids. She said your name once, twice, then a third time when you didn't wake. She scanned your body for where she could possibly shake you awake without hurting you, and settled on your uninjured right arm. She grabbed it, squeezing gently.

"Pequeña, wake up," she said gently, watching as your eyes flew open. They scanned the room, wide and wet with tears, and when you realized that you were not laying in the middle of the street, instead in your warm bed in Alexia's house, you lurched towards her.

You didn't get very far, crying out loudly when you moved even a fraction of an inch. You became aware that every part of you still ached, and though you weren't sure why, allowed Alexia to ease you back down onto the bed, until you were no longer aggravating your ribs. You reached your good arm towards Alexia, and she grabbed it easily.

"You're okay, pequeña, it was just a dream," she said. You nodded, but your chest still rose and fell rapidly, and you looked to be confused as well as in pain. "You are here with me, at my house."

"Hurts," you choked out, still not really sure why every one of your injuries was aching so badly.

"I know, you were moving a lot in your sleep. Just relax, I'll go get you some more ice," she said, moving to get off the bed. You let out a little squeak in response, and Alexia gave in, sitting back on the bed.

"It was green," you mumbled after a minute, somewhat calmer, but still shaking lightly.

"What was green?" Alexia asked.

"The light. It was green. I didn't do anything wrong, and I still got hit."

Alexia's face grew stormy, and you misunderstood.

"I promise, Capi, the light was green, and I even waited a second before going, like you're supposed to." You implored, and Alexia shook her head, shushing you quietly.

"I know, I'm not angry with you. It wasn't your fault. It was the other drivers fault, and he will pay for what he did."You didn't spend too long thinking about that, mind drifting off to other things.

"I thought I was going to die," you said, looking up at Alexia. You looked scared, terrified really, and it was clear that the full weight of what had happened was only just now hitting you.

I did too, Alexia thought. I thought I was watching you die on the ground in front of me.

"You didn't die, you were never going to die. You are fine, you are here with me, and you are completely fine." Alexia said conclusively.

"I'm fine." You echoed.

"You're fine." Alexia promised again. You had settled back into the bed, clearly exhausted from the whole ordeal. As soon as your eyes closed, though, they would snap right back open, flashing to Alexia, as if to make sure she was still there.

"I am not going anywhere, pequeña. I will stay right here until you fall asleep."

You visibly relaxed, eyes shutting almost immediately, and this time, they didn't jerk back open. Alexia stayed, as promised, until she heard your breathing even out, and your grip slackened on her hand.

She made her way back to her room, contending with the odd feeling that this was not the only time you were going to struggle with nightmares.

-----

As usual, Alexia was right. Every night, it seemed, you had the same dream, and every night, Alexia heard you, came into your room and woke you up. You were both exhausted, completely and to your core. Your fourth night home, you woke up with your fourth reoccurring nightmare. It felt like every time, you laid on the ground, in pain, longer. You'd woken by yourself, and you knew you hadn't been very quiet. Alexia didn't come, though, so you forced yourself to calm down, before getting up to make sure she was okay.

Your anxiety levels in general had spiked since the accident, and you found yourself worried every time anyone went... anywhere. You crept down the hall, good arm wrapped around your abdomen. Alexia's door was open, as she'd been leaving it, and she was tucked under the covers, still out cold.

You turned away, realizing the toll this must be taking on her. Dealing with you and your injuries during the day, your nightmares at night, and the team and training dominated everything else. You were old enough to deal with nightmares on your own, you decided. Alexia needed rest.

Your version of dealing with the nightmares was slowly making your way downstairs, before cozying up on the couch and turning on the TV quietly. You eventually drifted back off, and that is where Alexia found you the next morning.

She was sitting on the other end of the couch, feet tucked under her, as she sipped at a mug of coffee. You'd woken, you realized, because she'd turned the TV to a football match, and the change in volume had registered somewhere deep in your subconscious.

"What time is it?" You asked groggily.

"Almost 10," Alexia replied, looking away from the TV when she heard you speak. "What are you doing down here?"

"I... I was hot in my room, and it was cooler down here." Alexia raised a single eyebrow at you, but you held strong, maintaining eye contact.

"You were hot, so you came downstairs to sleep on the couch under 3 blankets?" Alexia asked after a minute.

"Once I got down here, I was cold, but I didn't want to go all the way back upstairs, so I used more blankets." You said weakly.

"What happened?" She asked, as if you hadn't spoken at all.

"Nothing."

"Pequeña," she said, sighing.

"Nightmare." you replied. Alexia's face changed, realization washing over it. She seemed to have just figured out that you hadn't woken her with a nightmare last night.

"I didn't hear you, did I? I slept through it?"

You nodded your head.

"I'm so sorry." She said, voice filled with guilt.

"Don't be. You don't need to wake up every time I have a nightmare. I was fine, I am fine." You dismissed.

"These nightmares... they've been happening a lot," Alexia stated, watching as your body physically recoiled away from the conversation. You stood from the couch, prepared to leave the room.

"Hey, don't run away from me. You can't just pretend the nightmares aren't happening, pequeña, they won't get better if you ignore them."

"I don't want to talk about it." You replied firmly, continuing on your way towards the stairs.

"Did you remember I'm leaving this afternoon? I'll be gone for a night, we have that away match in Sweden."

You hadn't remembered, honestly. You'd been pretty preoccupied with everything else going on, and when Alexia had asked if you would be okay with her going to the game a few days ago, you'd agreed easily. You thought you'd be doing better, mentally and physically, by the time she had to go.

You'd already moved into her house, were disrupting her entire life, not to mention waking her up every night. You wouldn't be the reason she missed a match, even if being by yourself was miserable.

"I know," you lied. "It's fine." You didn't turn around, instead keeping your back to Alexia.

"I can stay if you need me. Or you can go to Lucy's, she's out injured. The blonde offers gently, tone completely sincere.

"No, really. It's fine. I'll be fine."

Honestly, Alexia didn't believe you for a minute, but she knew you'd never admit that you needed her. She hoped you'd realize that it was okay for you to need her, to need help, and maybe the only way to do that would be to go.

She stood, walking towards where you stood, facing away from her. She turned you around carefully, leaving her hands on your shoulders. "Promise me you'll call if something happens? Or Lucy?"

"I'll be fine." You insisted, shrugging out from her grasp, and going to hide away in your room.

"That's not a promise, pequeña," Alexia shouted after you.

-----

Alexia left later that day, rather hesitantly, but left nonetheless. You had settled on the couch, still pretty much not allowed to do anything more than walk short distances. You were expecting a knock on the door any minute now, because there was simply no way Alexia wouldn't have instructed everyone that she knew in the city of Barcelona to check on you.

Instead of the predicted knock on the door, your phone rang. Leah's contact popped up and you took a deep breath, preparing yourself for the phone call ahead. Aside from talking to Leah, briefly, over the phone in the hospital, you hadn't spoken to her since. Your screen time had been severely limited because of the concussion, but you knew Lucy and Keira had been keeping your national team captain up to date.

"Hello." Leah said, somewhat coldly. She was a worrier, and she was big on honesty, so the situation was obviously really hard for her. She was concerned, yes, but she was also angrier than almost anyone else. That was how Leah was, though. Her worry manifested as anger- she didn't like to be vulnerable and admit she was scared for you, so she covered it up with being angry.

"How long are you going to be mad at me for?" You complained.

"How long until you'll be back on the field after your stupid and avoidable accident?" Leah fired back.

You flinched slightly. It was avoidable. That was something that you couldn't get out of your head, that it was your fault. If you'd just listened none of this would have happened. It was your fault that everyone was worried, that Alexia had to see you so hurt, that she had to take care of you, that your teammates across the continent had to worry about you from afar. It was all your fault.

"Y/n? Are you okay?" Leah's voice jolted you from your spiral, and you forced a smile on your face.

"Yep! All good. What's up with you?" You asked, changing the subject. Leah looked at you, searchingly, not understanding what had just happened. You'd spaced out completely after she'd spoken, getting this fareway look on your face, growing incredibly pale. She worried something was going south with your concussion.

"Where is Putellas? I want to talk to her."

"Why?" You wondered suspiciously.

"Is she there?" Leah asked impatiently.

"No, she's gone for the night. Away game for the Champions League. She'll be back tomorrow night."

Leah's worry grew. "She left you there by yourself?"

"Leah, seriously I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine, kid. You just spaced out in the middle of my sentence, looked like you were going to throw up, and then snapped out of it. Is it your head? Are you dizzy? You should call for an ambulance just to be safe." Leah was rambling, feeling rather helpless.

"Jesus, Leah. No. It's not my head, I'm not dizzy, I. Am. Fine. Everyone needs to stop worrying."

The blonde wasn't dropping this easily. "Why did you freak out then?"

You paused. You could lie, Leah would be able to tell, and she'd probably call the Spanish military in to check on you. Or you could try to be truthful.

"You're right, it was stupid and it was avoidable. I shouldn't have been so reckless." You answer quietly. You watch as Leah's face loses all of it's frustration, melting into a completely soft, concerned one. She had the reputation for being harsh and strict, but really, she was the easiest to make fold. Her heart was too big to stick to any of the things she said when she was mad.

"I shouldn't have said that. I was worried, yes. You're an adult, though, and you can make your own decisions. And from what I've heard, the accident was completely not your fault."

You shrug indifferently. Leah tries to take a different approach. All the time she's known you, she's known you to be stubborn. She had to see how deep this guilt really went, and she knew how.

"Are you going to get a new bike?" She asked.

You scoffed. "No."

"Why? Because you don't want to, or because everyone else doesn't want you to?"

"Both I guess. Scaring everyone like that again wouldn't be fair, and all anyone would think about when I rode off on it would be the time I almost died." You pause, lowering your voice before aditting the next part. "And I don't really think I could ever get on one again anyway." Your cheeks flush red, and you avoid Leah's eyes on the screen. Admitting that you're scared is not something you're comfortable with.

"It's okay if you're scared, y/n. What happened was terrifying. There isn't anything wrong with having a hard time with it. Lucy mentioned you'd been having nightmares..."

"My god, has Alexia told everyone?!" You groan. "I'm not scared, they aren't nightmares, they are just dreams. I am fine. Tell everyone to stop worrying."

It's quiet for a minute after your outburst.

"I don't think you are okay. But I know better than to try to convince you to change your mind and be honest. Just... don't push everyone away okay? It's not fair to you. You need a support system right now. Let yourself lean on the people that love you."

"I'm fine, Leah."

She sighed deeply. "Well, if you decide to stop being stubborn, I'm always here for you, yeah?

"Bye, Lee."

With that, you hung up the phone, throwing down onto the couch, incredibly frustrated. You weren't being stubborn. You didn't need help.

You were worried about sleeping that night; even though you had been trying not to wake Alexia up, it was still comforting to know that she was there, just a room over. Now, you would be all alone in the house. You hadn't had any issues when you napped, though, so you decided to get ahead of what you expected to be a night of little sleep.

The couch was comfortable enough, and you left the TV on, the soft hum of voices, combined with the general exhaustion that plagued your healing body, quickly lulling you to sleep. It was afternoon when you dozed off, and afternoon still when you jolted awake.

It was the same nightmare, but it seemed that each time you had it, it felt more and more real. At the beginning, you could remind yourself it was a dream; now, though, you didn't realize that until you had woken up. Sometimes it even took a few minutes for you to get a handle on your surroundings, the pain in your abdomen from your rapid breathing not helping you.

This was one of the worse ones. The dream had lasted longer than ever, and this time, you could hear different people around you, telling you that it was your fault for being so reckless. People you loved.

You were sweating, laying on Alexia's couch, gripping onto the blanket wrapped around you like it was the only protection between you, and the death you had just experienced in your nightmare.

It took you a while to calm your breathing down, and by the time you did that, your ribs felt like they were on fire inside of you, burning from the movement. You realized you were crying, and that it wasn't because of the pain.

You'd almost died.

You were alive, you reminded yourself.

But you came so close to not being alive.

The voices from your dreams echoed around your head, and you could only cry harder, turning to push your face into the pillow underneath you. Nothing you did made the tears, or the body shaking sobs, stop.

After another 10 minutes, when you were seriously worried you were going to damage your ribs, you pulled your phone out. You should have called Lucy, really, but Alexia was the only one that had ever seen you even close to as upset as you were now, and you were sure she was the only one who could help you calm down.

Alexia's phone rang right to voicemail. She was on media today, you remembered, and she'd told you to call someone else on the team if she didn't answer, and if it was an emergency. You scrolled through your recent calls, clicking on the first teammate that you saw; Ingrid.

She answered after only two rings, and you could hear the sounds of the team hanging out and joking around in the background.

"Hi elskling!," Ingrid said, sounding happy to get a call from you. She'd been checking in a lot, which you appreciated, but you knew you'd been pretty distant with her, as you'd been with most of the team. Guilt was a funny thing, and bothering everyone more than you already had felt necessary. You hadn't called to catch up with Ingrid, though.

"Ingrid, can you get Alexia please," you choked out, swallowing a sob that threatened to escape you.

"Yes, of course." Ingrid's tone turned serious, and you heard her mumbling to Mapi, before she came back on. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"No, I just need Alexia."

"Okay, Mapi's just gone to get her. She'll be right here, I promise."

"Thank you," you say, voice nothing but a broken whisper.

"It's going to be okay, y/n, I promise." Ingrid said, and you tried to internalize her words. You heard voices moving closer, one of Mapi, and one, unmistakably, of Alexia, but the panicked version of her voice. One you'd been hearing a lot of recently.

"Hey, pequeña, I'm here," Alexia murmured over the phone. "Talk to me, what's going on?"

"Nightmare. Worse than normal." You get out. You're still crying, and Alexia can barely understand you.

"Are you having a hard time breathing?" She asks.

"No, no I just can't stop crying. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Okay, that's okay. Everything is okay pequeña. You're allowed to cry." Alexia assured you.

"It hurts, Ale."

Alexia felt her heart shatter at the hopeless tone of your voice. She couldn't fix this, not from so far away. She turned to Mapi and Ingrid, who were hovering nearby.

"Call Lucy, tell her to go to my house." She mouthed at them. Mapi whipped out her phone, walking away as she talked quickly into it.

"Sit up for me, cariño, can you do that?"

"Okay," you mumble.

"Do you have any water near you?"

"Yeah."

"I want you to take a couple slow sips, okay?"

You do as Alexia says, following her instructions for the next few minutes. You haven't really calmed down at all, though, and Alexia is relieved when she hears a knock on the door through the phone.

"Cariño, that's Lucy. Can you open the door for her?"

"I-I think so." You struggle to your feet, wobbling towards the door, and unlocking it with a shaky hand. Lucy is stood on the other side, and she moves forward as soon as the door opens, steadying you. You only feel relieved when you see her, all thoughts of being embarrassed pushed from your head, just desperate to stop crying.

"Luce is here," you tell Alexia.

"Okay, good. Do what she says, okay? And call me when you feel a little better?" You agree, hanging up the phone, and allowing Lucy to guide you over to the couch. She sat down next to you, rubbing your back softly.

"You're okay, kiddo."

"I can't calm down, Luce," you stutter out.

"You can, I promise. Have I told you about what Narla did the other day?"

You're slightly confused at the abrupt change of subject, but Lucy launches into a ridiculous story about Narla at the dog park. You don't really notice that the tears stop, that your body has stopped trembling so hard, until Lucy finishes her story, and miraculously, you feel significantly better.

"Okay?" Lucy asks, handing you your water, which you gulp down gratefully.

"Yeah. Sorry. Don't know what happened."

Lucy's expression is unreadable as she stares at you for a minute. She leaves you with the idea that there is a conversation to be had, but she doesn't begin it. You get the distinct feeling that she's waiting for Alexia to be there.

"I'll get you some ice." She says instead. She goes to the kitchen, and you recline back onto the couch, wincing at the pain. Lucy returns quickly, her brow furrowed in worry as she tugs your shirt up a little, and looks at the dark blue bruises of your ribs.

"Do they look worse?" She asks you, placing the ice pack on them.

"No, the same."

"You should call Alexia back, she'll be losing her mind." You shrug. "Y/n, come on. Call her." Lucy's voice is uncharacteristically stern.

"I hate worrying everyone." You admit weakly, but reach for your phone, clicking Alexia's contact.

Lucy watches as you talk to her, assuring her over and over again that you're fine, really. She can tell by Alexia's doubtful voice that the captain is thinking the same thing Lucy is; you needed help. Neither of them were quite sure how to get you to agree to it, though.

-----

didnt' mean for there to be another part but this got long so :)

[didalexiabreakupwitholgayet]

The development of mapis bun from total chaos to neat and perfect over the years is something else

it's truly an impressive feat, and someone needs to document the evolution of mapi's bun in their different eras. 😂

the earlier looks definitely fit her 🦁 image.

[mapileonxputellas]

Best Christmas Present (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

Loved this Christmas one! Please send in anymore Christmas ideas... Requests 1, 2 and 3. 3k words x

“Final question for Y/N before we move onto Alexia.”

The joys of being the vice-captain of Barcelona meant joining Alexia for the press conference before the final game of the year. It felt like the middle of the night as you pulled up at the training session, hours before the training session all to face the questions of the media.

Having Alexia with you made it bearable, the two of you having been in a relationship for over four years now. The 7am wake up didn’t feel too bad when you were greeted with the love of your life in your shared home with Nala asleep at your feet.

“Y/N, how would you assess the season so far and what plans have you got for the Christmas break?”

A seemingly meaningless question to probably everyone in the room but one that brought up a touchy subject for yourself.

“In terms of the season so far I am pleased with both my own performance and the team overall but we know we cannot rest on that going into the new year. We’re more determined than ever to keep that unbeaten record in the league and reach the Champions League final again. We miss Alexia and others on the pitch at times but we’re trying to find alternative ways to break teams down effectively.” You answered, feeling your heart almost beat out of your chest as you thought about the second part of your answer. “I’m going to take the Christmas break to rest up and recharge ready for the new year in Spain.”

Out of all the things you loved about being Australian, the distance between there and your now home in Spain was not one of them. Christmas had never been an issue before, with the long break in the league you usually had time to travel there and back but this year the league structure meant that wouldn’t be possible and your parents’ health problems meant they couldn’t make the reverse journey.

“So you’re not travelling to Australia?”

“Sadly not.”

A simple answer but saying it out loud every time made it more real for you. Feeling a little nudge of your feat you slightly turned your head to find Alexia almost assessing you, making sure you weren’t going to breakdown so you sent her a weak smile accompanied by your blurry eyes.

Her smile immediately dropped noticing your mood and slightly scooted her chair over so her hand could grasp your own and draw patterns on your hand to calm you down.

The rest of the press conference was a blur for you, just focusing on the hand connected to your own and vaguely listening to Alexia. All you could think about was the new-found reality that you would be celebrating Christmas alone this year. This was your favourite holiday and it wouldn’t be the same on your own with no-one to celebrate with. This time the final question was a blessing as you quickly thanked the media before shuffling out of your seat.

You could feel Alexia’s eyes on you as you walked out the door but you didn’t have any time to talk about what had happened as you were thrust into a full changing room ready for the training session.

“Here come the love birds.” Claudia shouted as you entered. Trying to distract yourself you went straight over to your cubby between Ana and Jana. “Can’t even keep your hands off each other for twenty minutes.”

“Leave them alone.” Ana defended you. “They’re just in love.”

“What are you talking about anyway?” You questioned, quickly trying to change into the training gear.

“Let’s just say you weren’t as subtle as you thought you were.” Jana teased as you sat down. The young girl had spent a lot of time with both you and Alexia and often referred to you as her team mum.

“What?”

“Alexia getting handsy.” Mapi interrupted her. “You should see twitter honestly it’s like you’ve got married never mind just held hands in a press conference.”

“I thought it was cute.” Ingrid added. “Don’t listen to them.”

“I always preferred your girlfriend Mapi.”

“Right back at ya.”

Just as you finished tying your boot laces a hand came and rested on your knee before your girlfriend came into your vision, kneeling down in front of you. Her glances around the room gave away that she was waiting for the room to clear before she spoke.

“Are you ok?” She whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me….”

“Can we do this later? Please.” You almost begged, not wanting to get upset and then have to go out into the cold.

“Promise you’ll talk to me later.”

“I promise.” You replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Thank you for back there.”

“Anything for you.”

….

You avoided the conversation for as long as you possible could by busying yourself around other people. Offering to give Jana a lift home who lived round the corner from you both, taking the longest shower possible and busying yourself with making tea before you sat down together for dinner, ready to face the music.

The silence was overwhelming as you both sat down, twirling the pasta round your fork as you avoided eye contact. Slowly making your way through the meal.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Alexia broke the silence.

“It’s complicated Alexia.”

“What’s complicated for me is the fact that you didn’t want to tell me.”

“There’s nothing you can do though, your family is here and mine’s not.” You wiped away the sole tear that was slowly trickling down your face. “I thought they were going to come here but then with their latest problems the health insurance wouldn’t cover them. But it’s fine, I’ve got everything I need here and we can celebrate together the day after.”

This time though it was Alexia who was confused. “What?”

“It’s fine at least you’ll get two Christmases.”

“Babe take a step back, I’m not letting you spend Christmas day alone.”

“I mean what other choice do I have?”

“Spend it with us.” She reached over to grab your hand. “My mum always cooks enough for the whole village and she loves you.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s your family Ale.”

Well and truly before this year you’d never even had the option of celebrating Christmas together with the distance between you all. “They’re your family too and before you ask whether they’d be OK with it, my mum will be just worried the whole day if she knows you’re spending the day alone.”

“I feel like I’d be intruding.”

“I promise you wouldn’t be, this past year you’ve been a rock to me and my family and we owe you this at least.”

“You don’t owe me anything Ale.”

“I do, you gave up so much of your time watching me playing football, all those nights you stayed with me in hospital and then you’ve been the brunt of all my mood swings.”

“I did it because I love you.”

“And I love you so let me do this for you now.” Ale slipped out of her seat before gently sitting on your lap. “You know one day we’ll have both our families together, little ones running around and we won’t be the guests anymore. Consider this the first step in that, I don’t want to spend Christmas apart from you any longer, I’ve done that for four years and that’s long enough.”

“You’re a good persuader Miss Putellas.” She was getting to you and the smirk on her face said she knew that as her fingers gently dragged back and forth on your exposed collar bone.

“Please, I won’t be able to celebrate if I know you’re here all alone.”

“I’m calling your mum tomorrow and double checking this is alright with her.”

“Is that a yes?”

Reaching up you gently grabbed her chin to draw your eyes together. “Yes Ale, I’d love to spend Christmas with you.” The only way to seal the deal was with a kiss which you almost immediately pulled away from as a thought came into your head. “I need a full list of who will be there so I can add them to the Christmas present list.”

“Babe I’ve already started just putting both our names on them.”

“Really?”

“Well the shit ones I just put your names on.”

“Very funny.”

Moments like these cemented how much you loved the woman on your lap, throughout all the moments her newfound fame had given her she was still your Ale. As your lips gently caressed each other’s you thought of the perfect way to thank her for all of this to truly show how much you loved her and thankfully you knew exactly how you could do that.

….

Christmas with the Putellas family was definitely an experience. You knew how much Eli loved being a host and that showed on Christmas day.

From the beginning you were made to feel just as much a part of the family as Alba and Alexia: from the stocking embroidered with your name on to the heap of presents for you. It almost made you emotional thinking about the family that you had gained from your love for the Spaniard.

The day however only grew from there with family member after family member being welcomed into the house. Even though you had met everyone before it was still quite overwhelming so you tried to help Eli as much as possible in the kitchen. Cooking was definitely your other passion away from football and it helped you to forget about all the craziness going in the other room.

“How is my favourite daughter finding today?” Eli asked as she wrapped an arm around your shoulder before dropping down into a whisper. “Have you got a plan yet?”

Before you could even answer though another voice piped in. “Wow mama you could at least pretend not to have favourites.”

You loved Alba like a sister and you knew she was only joking, further shown as she joined you in a group hug. “Alba is just jealous.”

“No me and Alexia always knew you was the favourite. Alexia sent me to get you by the way, we’re playing games with the children.”

“Tell her I’m helping mama.”

“No you go.” Eli almost pushed you out, giving you her best authoritative look. “You’ve helped me more than enough today.”

“I’ll be back.” You promised.

The living room was far from the quiet serenity of the kitchen, both the sofas were filled with extended family, children were scattered across the carpet playing all sorts of different games and you found your girlfriend on the armchair trying to work out the latest game they wanted to play. You couldn’t help but watch as she tried to answer the questions of her young cousins all whilst looking incredible in the black blazer set she’d settled on, a stark contrast to your red dress. Your thoughts were interrupted though as Alba bumped your shoulder knocking you out of the daydream.

“Having a bit of trouble there.” You teased taking a seat on the arm of the chair. “These are supposed to be for children you know.”

“Shut up.” With one arm still holding onto the instructions the other tugged your waist causing you to slide down the arm of the chair onto her lap. You couldn’t help but press a kiss to the top of her head as she still tried to wrap her mind around the game.

“How about I do the next game?” You announced getting the attention of all the kids. “Count to twenty and I’ll be back.”

Scrambling to go to your backs you left in Alexia’s old room you found the parcel in your overnight bag ready for this exact scenario. Coming empty handed was never an option for you.

“Here it is.” You announced getting everyone’s attention. “Who wants to play pass the parcel?”

Your suggestion was met with a round of cheers as everyone got into a circle to include all the adults on the sofas. Taking a seat on the floor you were ready to start when one of Alexia’s cousins, Ana, sat down on your lap. Your arms instantly wrapped around the young girl as you started the music, each time letting the girl pass the parcel on to Alexia.

“Why did you not sit with me?” Alexia asked Ana dangling her hand over the chair to tickle the girl, pouting to feign her hurt.  

“Want Auntie Y/N.” Even just her calling you Auntie made your heart skip a beat, you couldn’t believe how lucky you were to now call these people your family.

“Yeah Auntie Ale.” You teased sticking your tongue out.

“She’s my favourite too.” Ale admitted to the little girl, faking a whisper. “Don’t tell her than though.”

“Secret.” The little girl whispered, thinking this was a real secret even though you could obviously hear both of them.

“Yeah keep it a secret.”

“What are you two talking about?” You asked gaining the attention of Ana who simply curled back into your lap.

“Nothing.” She answered. “Love you.”

“I love you too.”

Alexia couldn’t help but just look the at the two of you together. Your attention split between a conversation with her uncle and trying to soothe the girl in your lap.

“You’re so whipped.” Alba whispered teasingly into her sister’s ear. “Stop staring.”

“Shut up Alba.”

…..

Your moment didn’t come till after the meal had finished and everyone was still sat around talking. Alexia was curled up on the chair next to you, both of your hands intertwined on your lap as you mixed with everyone. But the box in your bag upstairs could no longer be ignored and now felt like the moment.

“I’m just nipping to the bathroom,” You whispered to Ale before slipping out the room.

Quickly refreshing yourself in the bathroom before retrieving the little box hidden in your overnight bag. You’ve played in front of nearly one hundred thousand people in your career but this is the most nervous you’ve felt before.

You couldn’t stop your hands from shaking as you slowly made your way into the dining room again. Stopping behind Ale’s chair your hands rested on her shoulders as you cleared your throat to gain the attention of the room, all eyes suddenly focused on you.

“Sorry for interrupting all your conversations but I just wanted to say something in front of you all. Firstly I want to thank you for today, you’ve all welcomed me into your family and took me in as one of your own. To Eli, thank you for being an amazing host and for the amazing food.”

“Which you helped with.” She pointed out. “We’ve all loved having you here, plus Ale would have spent the whole day being miserable without you.”

“Whining even more than usual.” Alba teased her sister.

“As you all know I’ve been with Ale for more than four years now and they’ve been the best of my life.” You started, Alexia turning to face you. “We’ve been through more struggles than anyone will know, with injuries and the pressures of being who we are but we’ve always had each other and I know I wouldn’t have come this far without you by my side.”

“What’s all this for?” Alexia asked.

You ignored her question to continue. “You’re my best friend. I love everything about you even when you keep me awake snoring at night or when you burn my toast in the morning. You’re always the first to offer to give me a massage after a match, you always remember my green tea in the morning but more than that you make me feel more loved than I’ve ever felt before.”

The realisation of what was slowly happening was dawning on Alexia as tears streamed down her face.

“I’d love nothing more than to have the rest of my life to continue to show you how much you mean to me and stand by your side to share every moment together.” You said, slowly getting down on one knee, opening the box to reveal the ring you’d chosen. “So Alexia Putellas Segura, will you do me the greatest honour and be my wife?”

“Yes, yes of course I will.” Immediately shooting out of her chair she wasted no time in gathering you in her arms, spinning you around in the air. “I love you so much.” She whispered, planting you back down on the floor to kiss you.

“I love you too. I hope you like the ring.”

“It’s perfect. Everything you choose is perfect.” Taking the simple but elegant diamond ring in your hand you slid it onto her finger like a glove.

It’s only then that you realise you’re not alone in the room, both of your eyes immediately turning to Eli and Alba. Tears uncontrollable streaming down their faces as they gathered you in a group hug.

“I’m so happy for you both.” Eli whispered, kissing both of your heads. “No-one deserves this more than you two.”

“You’re both made for each other.” Alba added, first hugging you as Eli took Alexia in her arms. “That ring as well, wow.”

“You should thank Eli for that as well.” You admitted as you swapped to get your hug from Eli. “I can’t take all the credit for that.”

“You knew?”  Alexia turned to the both of you.

“Y/N came to me a few months ago and asked for my permission which I of course gave her. I didn’t know she as planning on doing it tonight though.”

“It just felt right.” You admitted. “All your family here and we both love Christmas. Of course I’d love to have met your father and ask him but I felt this was only right.”

That again set Alexia off as the tears started again. “I love you.”

“I love you too my fiancée.” Bringing her into your arms the cheers started as you sealed it with another kiss. “Forever.”

“Forever with you.”

[woso-lover]

Mapi León

Mentally cheating (feat. Alexia Putellas)

Your perfect relationship with Alexia starts to break as you catch unwanted feelings for her bestfriend, Mapi León.

Masterlist

[lucysbronzes]

“Incredible feat that they managed to win the quadruple”

Really? I mean the treble they probably could’ve done with their eyes closed. The UWCL maybe but for the key games it was really only Mapi out.

Compare that with other teams injury lists around Europe and it’s a whole different story

They obviously did very well and were very impressive but wouldn’t say it was surprising

the treble definitely, yes. but they did the quadruple with a midfielder for a cb and no proper 9 and it's pretty impressive. i think most people thought lyon had in the bag because i definitely didn't think barça were going to win, and not just because of lack of mapi.

[tartaros13]

Mapi feat cat

[palaugranetes]

🔵BLAUGRANETS🔴

1 February 2021

Ronald: Are we going to talk about this or what?

.....

Ansu: Talk about What??

Ronald: Why are you always the first to reply?

Ronald: I mean thank you for replying always. Truly appreciated.

Ansu: I was bored

Ronald: Gee.. thanks

Ansu: What did you want to talk about bro?

Ronald: The message??

Ansu: What message?

Ronald: "[1/2, 17:39] Geri💥: 14 15 20 25 15 21, 2 21 20 20 8 5 15 20 8 5 18 19, 19 8 15 21 12 4 2 5 3 1 18 5 6 21 12 8 15 23 20 8 5 25 20 1 12 11 1 2 15 21 20 13 5 9 14 25 15 21 18 3 12 21 2 8 15 21 19 5. Ciao✌🏻"

Carlitos: What the frick is that supposed to be!?

Riqui: Frick

Carlitos: Shut it

Arnau: Is Geri okay?

Pedri: Did he send you his lottery picks??

Frenkie: I feel Geri is a bit bored possibly

Ronald: NONE OF YOU CLOWNS GOT IT?!

Dembz: No....

Dembz: I GOT MY ACCOUNTS BACK BTW!

Dembz: Well except PS5.. idk why it won't work.

Dembz: I tried everything I just cannot seem to get access!!!

Dembz: I hate him. I just want to play my games! I HAVE EARNED IT.

Ronald: You sure did.

Iñaki: Back to Ro's text now

JC: Ro???

Iñaki: Problem?

JC: Not at all

Iñaki: Alrighty then

Francisco: I think you were the only one who got that text @Ronald

Ronald: I kinda figured..

Oscar: But why?

Ronald: I'm gonna text him back

JC: YOU'RE WHAT?!

Ronald: I'm gonna ask what he meant.. you know.. have a proper conversation with him.

Dembz: You sure it's a good idea?!

Ronald: Unlike you clowns I prefer to deal with things directly.

Riqui: Well that's stupid

Ronald: Aha.. and how has not talking to Geri gone for you?

Carlitos: 😒😒😒

Ronald: Exactly

Iñaki: Bold move brother

Arnau: I mean yeah

Ansu: And honestly Big Ron can take him

Ronald: Please don't call me that

Ansu: It's settled, from now on you are Big Ron.

Ronald: 😑

----------

Frenkie: Isn't his birthday tomorrow??

Pedri: yep

Sergiño: How is the decoding going @Dembz?

Dembz: *Screams*

Sergiño: Cool

Ansu: We should get him a present or something.

Ronald: So I did it.

Ronald: I don't know what y'all were so afraid of.

Riqui: Well Big Ron, not all of us are safe.

Ronald: Please don't make this a thing

Oscar: It even feels weird to me.

Riqui: Alright Oscardo

Oscar: What tf is that

Ronald: He replied.

JC: THIS FAST?! WHAT IS HE MONITORING HIS PHONE?!

Ronald: I like when people reply quickly.. makes talking to them easier

Francisco: Umm.. what did he say?

Ronald: He said you clowns not you Pedri, Frenkie, Fran, Arnau, Oscar, Iñaki, Sergiño, should decipher the words.

Riqu: you really needed to name names huh.

---------

Ansu: WAIT... WHY NOT NOT ME THOUGH

Ronald: Cause you're a clown

Ansu: AM I BACK UNDER THREAT?!

Ansu: I CANNOT RUN I AM HURT. HAVE MERCY ON ME I AM IN PAIN GERI

Ronald: No you are simply a clown😌

Ansu: Oh Thank God!

Ansu: BUT HEY

Frenkie: So each number is a letter?!

Mapi joined via invitation Link

Oscar: Hiya

Mapi: Look here tontos, the girls and I are tired of the BS.

Arnau: Same.. but what BS

Mapi: Oh this is not for you boys specifically, there was just no other way to directly talk to the others...

Mapi: So @Ronald please transmit my words to the guys.. GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!

Mapi: Okay, thank you! Ciao✌🏻🤘🏻❣

Mapi Left

Pedri: Madre mia

Ansu: YEAH YOU HEARD MARIA! GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER

Riqui: umm..

Frenkie: not gonna lie, she is right

Pedri: I am so glad she didn't ask me to do it, I already have too much on my plate.

Dembz: What do you mean?!

Francisco: Geri told us he will be needing us to send messages to the Four

Sergiño: Why not do it directly himself?

Francisco: 🤷🏻‍♂️ I don't ask questions.

Iñaki: Right. As you should.

3 February 2021

Carlitos: Sup duckers!

Riqui: Duckers

Ansu: 😂

Carlitos: 😒 🖕🏻

Pedri: At least your phone can't autocorrect that.

Ronald: I figured it out.

JC: ???

Ronald: The letters are the numbers

JC: Math?!

Ronald: "Not you, but the others, should be careful about how they talk about me in your club house"

Carlitos: WHY NOT DO IT LIKE THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE!?

Riqui: What Club house

Dembz: I KEEP TELLING YOU HE KNOWS

Pedri: He doesn't

JC: I am more and more convinced each time that he does.

Carlitos: 😒😒😒😒😒😒😒😒😒

Francisco: He doesn't

Arnau: Kinda looks like he does

Dembz: Anything new with you @JC

JC: All chill bro

Dembz: Unfuckingfair

JC: Maybe the basket worked?

Sergiño: Sure

Frenkie: Maybe

Pedri: Nope

JC:😑

Riqui: Guys..

Riqui: I got a package

Ronald: Card?

Riqui: Oh 😅 It's just the videogames I ordered.

Carlitos: We really are going to carry on like this

Riqui: WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!

Pedri: ???

Riqui: I did not order these!

Arnau: No he did not😂

JC: HOW EVEN

Riqui: WHAT THE HELL IS A MY LITTLE PONY GAME DOING IN THIS!

Riqui: I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE JUST DOWNLOADED THE SOFT COPY

Riqui: 🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️

Carlitos: My little Pony😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Carlitos: The Irony 😂😂😂

Riqui:

Francisco: I bet

Sergiño: But how did he know?!

JC: Riqui right now

JC:

Riqui: 😒😒😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑

Pedri: "2 down, 2 to go. And A surprise"

Carlitos: OH FUCK OFF!!

Frenkie: Oh look the word came out correctly.

Carlitos: I paid attention this time

Iñaki: Should have paid attention months ago and not pissed Gerard off

Carlitos: Buzz off

Arnau:😂

Oscar: He is right

Dembz: Hey @Riqui at least you can return them..

Riqui: YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! THERE IS NO RECEIPT!!!!

Ronald: Oh damn

JC: So that just leaves me and Curly??

Francisco: Yep

Sergiño: But Jean was supposed to be first.

JC: 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️😑😑😑😑😑😒😒😒😒

Dembz: I am still angry about that!!!

Dembz: I WAS NOT MENTALLY PREPARED!!

JC: I WAS.. NOW WE ARE BACK TO 0!

Ronald: But nooo, don't talk to him.

5 February 2021

Ansu: Geri with Ibai!

Arnau: Watching😂

Ronald: Same

......

Riqui: SAY WHO YOU WANT TO WIN

......

Riqui: HOW DARE HE TALK SO NICELY ABOUT ME AFTER PULLING THAT CRAP!!

Riqui: YOU ARE NOT FOOLING ANYONE GERARD!!

Ronald: 💙💙💙💙

Ansu: That was so nice though! 🥺🤩

Pedri: 🥺💖🥺💖🥺💖

.......

Oscar: Geri have mercy on Ibai😂😂

Arnau: That was very fun

Iñaki: HOW HAS IT BEEN 2 HOURS!

Carlitos: Who do you think will win the elections??

Arnau: Honestly no idea

Oscar: They keep shooting themselves in the foot then recovering then doing it again.. The confusion

Riqui: We shall see.

[autumnsescapade-blog]

Perú Reflections:

Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu:

I am currently on the train back to Cusco with a heart full of pride and awe. Hiking Huayana Picchu and visiting MAPI was a very enriching experience. I was given the opportunity to learn about Machu Picchu’s culture and immerse myself in Perú’s endless natural beauty. ** The rain made the mountain range three times as captivating and kept me cool on our trek. At first, Maddie and I took on the mountain as a group of two. During our journey we made a few new friends while connecting over the struggle. I had never met these people before but they were very encouraging! (Insert pictures of Erik from Canada & Ethan from Wisconsin). We braved the steepest climbs together and celebrated atop of the mountain. I am very thankful for their company and friendship. Hopefully our paths will cross again!

I would also like to say that I am immensely proud of everyone who hiked Huayna Picchu. No one backed down or gave up despite how difficult or dangerous the climb was. We all came out stronger and more brave because of it. I know I will hold these memories near and dear for the rest of my life and I am so thankful to have been able to share it with everyone. Also before we hiked, I asked Brian if the hike was steep and all he said was, “mmmm at some parts”.

HEJZONWVWVXINESBSU WHUT BRIAN 😂😂😂 He played that off like it was nothing and I was definitely caught off guard! 😂 Apparently ~20 people die falling off of Huayna Picchu every 10 years. I remember looking behind me while climbing the steep stairs at the end and thinking, if I fell, nothing would catch me. I crawled on my hands and feet to the top to be safe and I am glad that I had my hiking boots! Accomplishing this feat made it twice as sweet when we made it to the top.

[cr0ss0veronlymusic]

Muchomante feat Dope Zilha & Mapy - Apwana

[thisdaynews]

Women's World Cup 2019: Megan Rapinoe scores twice as USA struggle past Spain

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/womens-world-cup-2019-megan-rapinoe-scores-twice-as-usa-struggle-past-spain/

Women's World Cup 2019: Megan Rapinoe scores twice as USA struggle past Spain

Media playback is not supported on this device

Highlights: Spain 1-2 USA

The United States came through a testing last-16 tie against Spain to set up a tantalising Women’s World Cup quarter-final against France.

The world���s number-one side and pre-tournament favourites were given a scare by the Spaniards but survived the first nervy match of their title defence with a narrow win thanks to two penalties.

Megan Rapinoe’s early goal from the spot gave the USA the lead but Spain hit back when Jennifer Hermoso capitalised on a defensive mix-up to equalise brilliantly.

Jill Ellis’ side were awarded another penalty in a tense second half, with the decision standing after a lengthy review from the VAR officials; Spain unhappy at what they saw as the soft nature of midfielder Rose Lavelle’s tumble in the box.

Relive the action from Reims

Player Rater: USA v Spain

Rapinoe held her nerve to fire in from the spot for a second time and ensure the holders will face the hosts in Paris on Friday, in what promises to be one of the games of the competition.

A potential semi-final against England could follow, with the winner of the Lionesses’ quarter-final against Norway in Le Havre on Thursday set to meet the victors from the USA and France’s clash.

Relief for the favourites

Mapi Leon (left) tripped up Tobin Heath which resulted in Megan Rapinoe’s opener

The three-time champions were made to work hard for their last-eight spot, and briefly gave their fans reason to fear they might not extend their record of having always at least reached the semi-finals.

There was a shocked reaction when Hermoso levelled for Spain, as the USA conceded for the first time this summer, having gone 648 minutes of football without letting a goal in since April.

And the USA, who have only lost once since 2017, looked slightly vulnerable in defence under pressure from an improving Spanish outfit.

Nevertheless, the holders created the better chances and were once again strong going forward, with Rapinoe denied by a near-post save in the first half.

The game’s decisive moment came as Lavelle poked the ball beyond Virginia Torrecilla in the area and went down.

Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsar initially awarded the spot-kick without hesitation, before taking a further look at the replay following guidance from her VAR colleagues. She opted to stick with her original call, much to the frustration of the Spain fans at a passion-fuelled Stade Auguste-Delaune.

Brave Spain go home with pride and frustration

USA striker Alex Morgan (left) was well marshalled by the Spanish defence

On a hot and humid evening in Reims, Ellis’ formidable USA squad were made to sweat by one of the world’s improving teams.

Spain – labelled as 6-1 outsiders for this tie by some bookmakers, with the USA 1-10 on – had caused problems as early as the first minute, when Patri Guijarro’s shot was blocked by Becky Sauerbrunn.

Playing in only their second World Cup and having reached the knockout stages for the first time, they were led from the back by resolute Paris St-Germain defender Irene Paredes, while Atletico Madrid star Hermoso played a key role in building their counter attacks.

Having finished second in Group B behind Germany, the side ranked 13th in the world will leave France with their heads held high, but with a tinge of frustration at the decision to award the USA’s second penalty.

The first spot-kick – which came when Mapi Leon brought down Tobin Heath – was comparably clear cut, but opinions were divided on the significance of the contact made with Lavelle for the crucial second.

Boos rang around the stadium as Spain’s fans expressed their dismay at the outcome of the VAR review, but Rapinoe – who replaced Alex Morgan as the USA’s penalty-taker during the long pause for the review – was nerveless.

‘We were the equals of the world’s best team’ – what they said

USA head coach Jill Ellis:“There’s not flawless soccer to be found in this world. That’s part of the game.

“We knew we could be sharper in the final pass, but Spain are a very good team.

“This was a really tricky game – probably the hardest in the last 16. It was good and it has energised our players.”

Spain manager Jorge Vilda:“On the pitch, I really feel that we should all be very proud of what we did. I am very proud.

“In terms of competitiveness we’ve been able to be the equals of the best team in the world. We’ve been able to give them a run for their money.

“We are a national team that – at the end of the day hasn’t walked away with a prize – but we have shown our potential for growth.”

‘There are so many things to question’

Former United States keeper Hope Solo on BBC Radio 5 Live:“I don’t know where to begin. There are so many things to question. You don’t always get a perfect win, sometimes it’s ugly and sometimes it’s hard-fought, which I understand as a player. But at the same time when you have that much attacking prowess, to not get a goal in normal play is concerning. It was two penalties and one I didn’t even think was a penalty, and if it was, it was soft.

“If you want to beat the USA you have to press the backline. That’s where they are truly vulnerable. It’s the decision making, it’s the quality of passing and I think there are nerves back there. I don’t think they are good enough to keep possession.”

USA on the spot again – stats

USA have reached the quarter-final stage in every edition of the Women’s World Cup between 1991 and 2019; the second nation to achieve this feat alongside Germany (eight).

Spain have won just one of their seven matches at the Women’s World Cup (W1 D3 L3), with this their first defeat and match in the knockout stage.

Only Germany (13) have scored more penalties (excluding shootouts) than USA (11). This is the second Women’s World Cup match in which USA netted two penalties (also 26 June 2003 v Nigeria).

Rapinoe is just the second player to score two penalties in a single Women’s World Cup match after Hermoso v South Africa (also at the 2019 edition).

Hermoso scored her first open play goal at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, with what was her 13th such attempt Hermoso is Spain’s leading scorer in WWC history (three)

Rapinoe has been directly involved in 12 goals in her 15 appearances at the Women’s World Cup (six goals, six assists).

BBC Sport has launched #ChangeTheGame this summer to showcase female athletes in a way they never have been before. Through more live women’s sport available to watch across the BBC this summer, complemented by our journalism, we are aiming to turn up the volume on women’s sport and alter perceptions.Find out more here.

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[holidaysat]

Treasures of Peru Tour Package

Destinations Covered: Lima, Cuzco, The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Lake Titicaca Duration: 10 Days

For tour queries or bookings, Call +91-9911788187 or Email info@holidaysat.com https://zurl.co/Jd2vw

Day 1: Fly to Lima Fly to Lima. Transfer to José Antonio Hotel for a 2-night stay.

Day 2: Lima This morning explore the colonial and modern highlights of Lima, including the Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Columbian site, and the historic masterpiece of San Francisco monastery. In the evening.

Day 3: Fly to Cuzco • The Sacred Valley Morning flight to Cuzco, set high in the Andes mountains. Transfer to the Sacred Valley with a wealth of Inca sites and great natural beauty. Stay for 2 nights at the San Agustin Urubamba Hotel.

Day 4: Sacred Valley In the morning, visit the colourful Pisac market and the Inca fortress at Ollantaytambo, an astounding feat of construction and ingenuity. Afternoon at leisure to relax or explore the beautiful surroundings.

Day 5: Machu Picchu Transfer to Ollanta station and take the train to Machu Picchu. Enjoy a guided tour of Machu Picchu and stay overnight at El Mapi Hotel.

Day 6: Cuzco Morning at leisure or further explore Machu Picchu (purchase ticket at time of booking). Return to Cuzco by train and transfer to Los Portales for 2 nights. This ancient Inca capital has beautiful colonial churches and mansions sitting alongside Inca remains.

Day 7: Cuzco Morning guided tour of Cuzco, including the cathedral, the extraordinary Koricancha (Temple of the Sun) and the fortress of Sacsayhuaman. Afternoon at leisure.

Day 8: Lake Titicaca Travel by road to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca (approximately 10 hours including stops).* Travel past small valley towns, cultivated terraces and high Andean peaks. There will be a chance to stop at archaeological sites along the way. Transfer to José Antonio Hotel for a stay of 2 nights.

Day 9: Lake Titicaca Visit the floating Uros reed islands and Taquile island on a full-day tour with a home-cooked lunch prepared by a local family. In the evening enjoy a farewell dinner at a traditional restaurant.

Day 10: Departure via Lima Transfer to Juliaca airport for a flight to Lima and later fly to your next destination.

[woso-lover]

Alexia Putellas

Mentally cheating (feat. Mapi León)

Your perfect relationship with Alexia starts to break as you catch unwanted feelings for her bestfriend, Mapi León.

Masterlist

[lucysbronzes]

tbh i think them looking for a cb isn’t surprising this year was so tricky and an incredible feat that they managed to get the quadruple

marta will retire soon unfortunately, and irene won’t have too many years left in her as a starter (i love her don’t get me wrong just stating the obvious), imo jana might be loaned out or move to a different league in the next year or so, and mapi is returning from injury, a new cb with a different league experience would definitely add to long term depth

to me it’s not related to lucy’s renewal

i think marta's definitely gone after this season and possibly an irene +1

i don't think it's lucy related either, it's more keira related and looking ahead. i do feel like it won't actually happen though, seems a bit stupid when she's free next season and they could tie her down on a pre in january

[tartaros13]

Mapi feat Leila.

[palaugranetes]

Sandra Paños via IG Stories

Feat. Mapi Leon

[tartaros13]

Mapi feat her cat.