Tag: Barcelona vs Elche

Barcelona storm past rock-bottom Elche to move closer to LaLiga title

ELCHE: Robert Lewandowski scored a brace as Barcelona wreaked havoc on bottom-placed Elche to win 4-0 and go 15 points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga on Saturday.

The Catalan giants strengthen their position in the title race after this win while second-placed Real will look to keep their slim hopes alive with a win against Valladolid on Sunday.

League’s top scorer Lewandowski ended his goal drought after three goalless games when he opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a close-range finish after Ronald Araujo headed the ball down to him in front of the goal.

Ansu Fati doubled the lead in the 55th minute by receiving a pass from Ferran Torres in his own half, moving towards the outside of the box, and hitting low into the far corner for his first league goal since October.

Lewandowski scored his second of the night 10 minutes later after Gavi snatched the ball off Elche’s defence and set up brilliantly for the polish strike in the box.

Torres slotted the fourth goal of the visitors in the 70th minute to wrap up the game.

With the rout, Elche were pushed deep into the crisis with only 13 points from 27 games, 14 points away from the safety zone.

Earlier, Sevilla beat Cadiz 2-0 to go 13th in the standing on 31 points while the opponents were left stranded on the brink of the relegation zone.

Meanwhile, 14th-placed Getafe held Athletic Club to a nil-nil draw at home.

Girone edged past Espanyol, thanks to a late penalty scored by Christian Stunai two minutes before time, to jump to 10th place with 34 points.

READ: ARY and FairBreak Global join hands to broadcast women’s cricket in Pakistan

 

Barcelona go third after scraping past Elche

ELCH: Barcelona moved up to third in La Liga on Sunday after coming from behind to beat Elche 2-1, with Memphis Depay scoring a late penalty to seal a hard-fought victory.

Elche took a surprise lead at the Martinez Valero when Fidel capitalised on a Pedri error on the stroke of half-time but Barca came storming back thanks to two substitutes.

Ferran Torres diverted in from close range on the hour before Depay scored an 84th-minute penalty after the striker had drawn Elche’s Antonio Barragan into a handball.

“It seemed we were going to lose a game we did not deserve to lose,” said Barca coach Xavi Hernandez. “We deserved to win by more than one goal.”

The victory sends Barcelona two points above Real Betis and three clear of Atletico Madrid in the table before Betis and Atletico face each other in a crucial battle for the top four later on Sunday.

It also continues an impressive run of form for Xavi’s side, who have not lost in the league since December and came into this game on the back of scoring four times in three consecutive games for the first time since 2017.

When Xavi was appointed in November, Barcelona sat ninth but they might now justifiably have their sights set on Sevilla, who are only seven points ahead in second.

“We have four wins in a row, this has not happened for a long time, it’s a good sign,” said Xavi. “The players believe in what we are doing. We are on the right path.”

Barcelona had the better of the chances in the first half, the best of them falling to Frenkie de Jong, who darted in behind but failed to beat Edgar Badia.

Then Ousmane Dembele sprinted clear and his lifted shot was parried out to De Jong, whose follow-up was cleared off the line by Diego Gonzalez.

Elche then landed a sucker-punch a minute before half-time as Barca failed to deal with a straight-forward goal-kick downfield and amid the confusion, Pedri poked the ball back, past his own defence and through to Fidel. Fidel took a touch and fired into the far corner.

Barcelona equalised on the hour as they worked the ball from left to right, where Dembele drove to the line and hung up across. Jordi Alba was unable to catch the ball cleanly but Torres was perfectly placed to steer in.

Elche were tiring, Barca pushing for a winner and in the 82nd minute they got their chance as Depay wriggled around Barragan, the ball popped up and Barragan instinctively lifted his arm to meet it.

The referee consulted the replay, pointed to the spot and Depay swept the penalty into the top corner.

There was more late drama to come, as Alba and Sergio Busquets were both relieved to see penalty claims for handballs waved away before Guido Carrillo headed towards the corner in the 94th minute. Marc-Andre ter Stegen dived and Barca held on.

READ: Real Madrid get set for PSG by hammering Real Sociedad

A responsible overview of casino magic online argentina should keep expectations realistic and highlight policy clarity. Focus on withdrawals, limits, and KYC requirements first, then assess mobile performance and provider lineup. Promotions can be optional; wagering and expiry terms matter more than headlines. 18+ only; set strict limits.

Voor spelers die waarde hechten aan eerlijke feedback en praktijkervaringen is https://theslotzcasino.nl/spelersrecensies een nuttige ingang. De pagina legt de nadruk op gebruikerservaring, uitbetalingen, bonusvoorwaarden en klantenservice. Daardoor ontstaat een duidelijker beeld van hoe het casino in het dagelijks gebruik aanvoelt, vooral voor bezoekers die niet alleen naar promoties kijken maar ook naar betrouwbaarheid en speelcomfort.