Barcelona returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Elche in La Liga on Sunday, a result that helped ease the sting of last weekend’s Clasico defeat. Goals from Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Marcus Rashford secured the win for the Catalan side, pushing them back to second place and narrowing the gap behind leaders Real Madrid to five points.
Despite the victory, Hansi Flick’s team still showed signs of defensive vulnerability. Elche, led by Eder Sarabia — a former Barcelona assistant under Quique Setien — made a strong impression and came close to causing an upset. Rafa Mir struck for the visitors and was twice denied by the woodwork, keeping Barca’s defence under constant pressure.
Barcelona entered the match with a long list of injuries that included Pedri, Gavi, and Joan Garcia. However, there was relief for fans as Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo returned to action from their respective layoffs. Youngster Lamine Yamal, who struggled in the Clasico after recovering from a groin problem, looked sharp and confident this time around.
The hosts wasted no time asserting themselves. In the ninth minute, Alejandro Balde surged down the flank and teed up Yamal inside the box. The teenager controlled the pass with composure before curling a precise finish past former Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena.
Barely three minutes later, Barca doubled their lead. Fermin Lopez carved open Elche’s defence with a clever run and delivered an inch-perfect cross that Ferran Torres converted with ease. The forward celebrated by unveiling a shirt in tribute to his home region of Valencia, marking one year since the devastating floods that struck Spain’s east coast.
Barcelona created more chances before halftime, with Lopez and Rashford both going close and Pena making an excellent save to deny Torres. Elche, however, refused to fade. Rafa Mir pulled one back shortly before the break after timing his run perfectly from his own half to beat the offside trap. His low shot slipped past Ronald Araujo and Wojciech Szczesny into the far corner, cutting Barca’s lead in half.
The visitors almost drew level early in the second half when Mir’s curling strike grazed the top of the crossbar. But Rashford ended any hopes of a comeback, finishing clinically from another Lopez assist to score his second league goal of the season and seal the win.
Szczesny was called into action again late on, pushing a Mir attempt onto the post to preserve Barca’s two-goal cushion. While Flick’s men still have defensive issues to fix, the performance offered reassurance to fans who had been disappointed after the Clasico loss.
