Barcelona came back from behind to go third in La Liga with another crucial victory.
Barcelona defeated Elche 2-1 in their La Liga game on Sunday. The Catalans earned a hard-fought victory while Elche slipped to 14th place on the league table.
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The Catalans came into the game on the back of their brilliant 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao last week. However, they struggled to find their rhythm against Elche in the first half.
Following a misplaced backpass from Pedri, Fidel Chaves raced into Barca’s box and drilled the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
The goal came just before the interval, with Barcelona starting their efforts to get the equalizer as soon as the second period started.
It took them until the hour-mark to finally break Elche’s defensive integrity and make it 1-1. A cross from Ousmane Dembele found Jordi Alba inside the box, who assisted Ferran Torres with his first touch.
Barca pushed hard to score the match-winner while Xavi sent Memphis Depay in to reinforce his attacking unit. The Dutchman won a penalty and converted it only ten minutes after the substitution, clinching a vital winner for Xavi’s side.
Elche’s failed to get back into the game after Barca’s second goal. The hosts’ frustration only led to a red card for Javier Pastore in the 88th minute.
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What’s next for Barca and Elche?
The victory sent Xavi’s side to third place in La Liga, 15 points behind leaders Real Madrid. The Catalans will now prepare to face Galatasaray in the Europa League, while Elche must meet Granada in La Liga next week.
Player Ratings
Elche: Badia (7); Barragan (5), Roco (6), Gonzalez (6), Mojica (7); Morente (5), Mascarell (6), Guti (6), Fidel (7), Milla (6), Boye (6).
Bench: Perez (7), Josan (6), Ponce (5), Carrillo (6), Marcone (6).
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (6); Alves (6), Araujo (6), Pique (7), Alba (8); De Jong (6), Busquets (7), Pedri (5); Gavi (5), Aubameyang (6), Dembele (7).
Bench: Gonzalez (6), Dest (6), Traore (7), Torres (8), Depay (7).
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