Barcelona Player Ratings Vs. Elche: Champions Rebound With Emphatic Victory

Barcelona defeated Elche 3–1 successful a mature capacity to support up their pursuit of Real Madrid atop nan La Liga standings.

After a poor capacity successful El Clásico that saw Barcelona suffer to their bitter rivals for nan first clip successful nan Hansi Flick era, nan Catalans were obligated to cod each 3 points against Elche.

Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres scored wrong 15 minutes to ignite Barcelona’s win. Rafa Mir pulled 1 backmost for nan visitors connected nan verge of halftime, but a 2nd half extremity from Marcus Rashford allowed nan Blaugranas to cruise to nan decorativeness line.

Although it was acold from a superb showing, nan consequence is each that matters and it will thief assistance nan temper wrong nan La Liga champions’ dressing room up of a travel to Belgium to look Club Brugge successful nan Champions League.

Barcelona person a cleanable grounds astatine location successful La Liga this season. / David Ramirez/Soccrates/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Wojciech Szczęsny—7.2: The seasoned Pole was seldom tested but did person a cardinal prevention successful nan 2nd half to support Barça’s two-goal lead. He was poised and meticulous erstwhile abandoning his extremity to play arsenic a sweeper.

RB: Jules Koundé—7.3: Koundé had a quiet nighttime but did a bully occupation whenever he was tested defensively.

CB: Ronald Araújo—7.2: Barcelona’s skipper should’ve been tighter to effort and contradict Mir abstraction to sprout for Elche’s goal. Other than that blemish, it was a coagulated showing from nan Uruguayan.

CB: Eric García—7.2: After a mediocre showing successful El Clásico, García bounced backmost pinch a beardown protect performance, stifling André Silva nan full night.

LB: Alejandro Balde—7.6: One of nan champion performances of nan play from Balde. He tirelessly ventured guardant pinch intent until his substitution and bagged his first assistance of nan season.

CM: Marc Casadó—6.2: Casadó did a good occupation anchoring Barcelona’s midfield and offering equilibrium to Flick’s side.

CM: Frenkie de Jong—7.9: Playing successful Pedri’s role, nan Dutchman was excellent, exploiting his value arsenic a ball-carrier to perpetually commencement attacks. One of nan champion players connected nan night.

RW: Lamine Yamal—7.9: Barcelona’s No. 10 scored his first unfastened play extremity of nan play astatine home. Although he was comparatively quiet, pinch Barça’s onslaught tilting towards nan near wing, he looked vulnerable pinch nan shot astatine his feet.

AM: Fermín López—8.5: López continued his superb form. He was astatine nan bosom of Barcelona’s astir vulnerable actions each nighttime and exited nan crippled aft collecting 2 assists.

LW: Marcus Rashford—7.9: The England world had his adjacent stock of missed opportunities but scored a superb goal.

ST: Ferran Torres—8.2: Torres had a beardown first half, scoring a extremity and pressing tirelessly to make immoderate vulnerable turnovers. His power dropped importantly aft nan break.

Subs not used: Diego Kochen (GK), Eder Aller (GK), Xavi Espart, Marc Bernal, Pau Cubarsí.

Elche (4-3-3)

Starting XI: Iñaki Peña; Álvaro Núñez, David Affengruber, Pedro Bigas, Adrià Pedrosa; Martim Neto, Marc Aguado, Aleix Febas; Germán Valera, André Silva, Rafa Mir.

Subs used: Rodrigo Mendoza, Yago Santiago, Héctor Fort, John Donald.

Player of nan Match: Fermín López

Barcelona 3–1 Elche—How It Unfolded successful Montjuic

Lamine Yamal recovered a measurement to slot his changeable betwixt 2 Elche defenders. / Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Injuries proceed to discuss Flick’s squad. The crippled against Elche marked nan first clip since mid-January that Pedri was not portion of Barcelona’s lineup. Raphinha and Joan García were different regular starters that were unavailable done injury.

From nan infinitesimal nan starting whistle blew, nan Catalans looked for illustration a broadside wished to threat retired of their caller slump. It took nan hosts 9 minutes to people nan opener, arsenic Balde went connected 1 of his trademarked runs to set-up Yamal, who calmly trim wrong and tucked his changeable into nan acold area to people his first open-play extremity since August.

Three minutes later, Barcelona doubled their advantage. Fermín López took advantage of a mediocre clearance effort and took disconnected down nan near earlier sending an inch-perfect transverse that Ferran Torres simply tapped-in to people his 5th convention extremity of nan term.

Barcelona continued to predominate but grounded to make clear scoring opportunities. On nan verge of halftime, Elche pulled 1 backmost done Rafa Mir. The Spaniard was group free connected a antagonistic onslaught and Ronald Araújo grounded to adjacent down nan space, allowing Mir to prime retired a changeable into nan bottommost area to springiness nan visitors life.

Torres has a chance to reconstruct Barcelona’s two-goal advantage earlier nan break, but Barça loanee Iñaki Peña denied him pinch a sensational close-range save.

Barcelona continued to squander chances retired of nan break, pinch Marcus Rashford missing a clear opportunity pinch only Peña to beat. Elche astir equalized successful nan 55th minute, pinch a curling changeable from Mir hitting nan crossbar.

Eventually Rashford’s insistence paid off. The England world received a beautiful shot from Fermín, sewage distant from his man and fired a weak-foot rocket that ricocheted disconnected nan crossbar and into nan backmost of nan nett to people his first location convention extremity successful Barça colors a time aft his 28th birthday.

Rashford’s extremity restored a consciousness of calm for nan hosts. Barcelona controlled nan last 20 minutes of nan crippled and Flick was capable to springiness cameos to Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski, pinch nan antecedently injured brace seeing their first action since nan October world break.

The Catalans cruised to nan decorativeness statement and secured a overmuch needed triumph that saw them move up to 2nd successful nan standings, 5 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid. Up next, a Champions League bout distant to Club Brugge connected Wednesday.

Barcelona vs. Elche Full Time Stats

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