Goals from Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford guided Barcelona to a 3-1 win over Elche on Sunday, moving the defending La Liga champions to second place in the standings with 25 points, five behind leaders Real Madrid.
Looking to bounce back from last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Real in El Clasico, Barcelona wasted no time in asserting its dominance at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium.
They took full advantage of two defensive mistakes from Elche in the opening minutes and took a two-goal lead with strikes from Yamal and Torres in the ninth and eleventh minutes.
The first came when David Affengruber’s errant pass was intercepted by Alejandro Balde. The left-back surged forward and delivered a precise through ball to Yamal, who showed exceptional composure, cutting inside before unleashing a left-footed shot into the top corner.
It was Yamal’s first goal in La Liga since August 31 and was a much-needed boost for the 18-year-old after weeks of struggling with a persistent groin injury.
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Two minutes later, Elche right-back Adria Pedrosa slipped while trying to control the ball in his own half, and Fermin Lopez capitalized, pounced on the loose ball and raced to the byline before delivering a low cross into the six-yard box, where Torres was on hand to tap the ball into the net, doubling Barcelona’s lead.
Rafa Mir reduced the deficit by scoring from a quick counter just before half-time and almost equalized in the 55th minute when he hit the crossbar with a powerful shot from a tight angle.
However, the visitors’ hopes of a comeback were dashed in the 61st minute when Rashford extended the home side’s lead with a superb finish from the penalty area that came off the crossbar.
Elche continued to fight and came close to reducing the deficit in the 67th minute, with Mir rattling the woodwork for the second time in the match.
Despite the visitors’ best efforts, Barcelona retained control in the closing stages and secured three valuable points.
«It was very important to start strong and intense. From there we could take the match where we wanted to go,» Torres told DAZN.
«We knew the type of game they were going to play and we started very strong. We were a little bit off after that, but we found our spirit and our intensity in the second half.»
Published on November 3, 2025
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