Barcelona extended their lead at the top of La Liga with a 3-1 victory over Elche at the Estadio Martinez Valero. The win keeps them four points clear of Real Madrid, who can narrow the gap to one point when they face Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
Match Summary
Lamine Yamal scored his third consecutive goal in the sixth minute, latching onto Dani Olmo's through ball, rounding goalkeeper Iñaki Peña and finishing into an empty net.
Elche equalized in the 29th minute through Álvaro Rodríguez, who composedly finished past Joan García after getting in behind Eric García.
Ferran Torres restored Barcelona's lead in the 40th minute, drilling high into the net from a cutback by Frenkie de Jong, who had rounded goalkeeper Peña only to be blocked by covering defenders.
Marcus Rashford, who came on for Raphinha as a second-half substitute, sealed the victory in the 72nd minute, firing into the roof of the net from close range after a low cross from Yamal.
Key Moments
Barcelona dominated the first half but were pegged back by Elche's equalizer. Torres saw a shot cannon off the crossbar and rebound into his face before hitting the post.
Near the hour mark, Elche's Rodrigo Mendoza had the ball in the net but was flagged for offside. Minutes later, Adam Boayor wasted a golden chance, blazing over when off-balance.
That miss proved costly as Yamal controlled a high ball on the right, jinked his way into the area and provided the assist for Rashford to score.
Context
Barcelona have not lost at Elche's home stadium since 1974.
This victory followed Barcelona's midweek comeback win over Copenhagen, which secured their place in the Champions League last 16.