Elche 1-2 Barcelona: Match Review

After convincing wins against Napoli and Athletic Club, Barcelona were expected to cruise past a relatively struggling Elche side in La Liga. However, that was far from the situation at the Estadio Martinez Valero.

It was very important for Xavi’s side to maintain their momentum ahead of a midweek game against Galatasaray whilst also keeping players fresh.

On the night, Xavi opted to make some changes, especially in the attack. Adama Traore and Ferran Torres started on the bench with Gavi and Ousmane Dembele taking their places. Dani Alves and Jordi Alba took over the fullback positions with a midfield trio of Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, and Pedri.

The Blaugranes opened with a direct attack as Aubameyang and Dembele combined to create a chance in the first minute. It was a trailer of what was to come, as the combination between the Frenchman and the Gabonese striker was a recurrent theme through the opening half.

The first big chance arrived in the 13th minute when Dembele delivered a low cross into the box. The ball fell to Aubameyang whose effort was sensationally blocked by Roco.

Fifteen minutes later, the Catalans once again had the goal at their mercy. Dembele was played into space and took a shot from a wide angle. While Edgar Badia saved the winger’s chopped effort, the rebound fell to de Jong. The Dutchman tried to send the ball into the open goal, but a clearance off the line from Gonzalez denied Barcelona the opener.

Elche began pressing the accelerator in the final ten minutes of the half, often overwhelming the Blaugrana defence.

In the 37th minute, Mojica danced down the left-flank and the cross fell to Morente. Despite having the goal at his mercy, the forward skied his effort. A minute later, Frenkie de Jong once again failed to put the ball past Badia in a one-vs-one effort.

The biggest moment in the first half came in the final minute. Pedri made a huge mistake with his backpass which fell at the feet of Fidel. Making no mistake, the Elche player put the ball past Ter Stegen to give his side the lead at home.

Xavi’s immediate response to going down was the introduction of Ferran Torres. The Spaniard almost had an instant impact with a wonderful chance created in the 47th minute. The substitute had his first big chance in the 53rd minute when he fired the ball over the bar.

Torres’ introduction bore fruit at the hour mark when the winger brought parity to the scoresheet. Dembele’s cross into the box fell at the Spaniard’s feet who placed it past Badia’s reach.

Over the next 15 minutes, Torres had a multitude of chances to score. Despite making the right moves, he could not put them away.

Barcelona got the lead in the 83rd minute when the ball struck the arm of Antonio Barragan. A penalty was awarded after a VAR review and Memphis Depay emphatically put the ball past the goalkeeper.

The closing minutes were a nervy affair for the visitors with Elche appealing for a penalty twice. Both times, it was dismissed by the ref, and eventually, the garnet and blue held their fort and took three points home. With this win, Barcelona race ahead of Real Betis to third place on the league standings.

Full time: Elche 1-2 Barcelona