Barcelona 3-1 Elche: Flick's team doesn't fail in Montjuïc and recovers 2nd place in LaLiga

FC Barcelona did their homework against Elche at Montjuïc (3-1). With a good performance from their offensive trident, this time made up of Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford, and Ferran Torres, accompanied by a very active Fermín López with two assists, the Azulgrana team added their eighth victory in eleven matchdays to reach 25 points.

The result allows Barça to regain second place in the standings on their own, in addition to clearing up doubts caused by the defeats against Sevilla and Real Madrid.

Hansi Flick kept his Clásico XI almost intact, with Ronald Araujo and Marc Casadó entering in place of Pau Cubarsí and Pedri González, respectively. With Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo back on the bench, the Blaugrana team had a bit more depth, although there are still 6 injured players.

Although the "culés" (Barcelona fans) had the victory well underway very early (the match was 2-0 in 12 minutes), they once again suffered more than they should have in defense. In the end, Barça managed to take the 3 points and remains 5 behind Real Madrid, but still raises doubts in defense and in the control of the game. Especially when it comes to managing the results.

Barça punished two Elche errors in the first quarter of an hour

Lamine Yamal scored the 1-0 for Barça-Elche

The match was quickly resolved in favor of a Barça that, unlike other matches, was not dominant from minute 1. The Elche team surprised in the opening stages with effective high pressure, generating a corner in their favor and a couple of approaches to the area.

However, a mistake in the exit of center-back Affengruber allowed Alejandro Balde to put together a lethal attack. The '3' drove through the middle and gave the ball to Lamine Yamal, who settled the score by shifting to his left, after cutting back on Nuñez, to blast Iñaki Peña with a powerful shot.

The goal was a tremendous blow for an Elche side that, 3 minutes later, sprung a leak again in defense. A bad control and subsequent slip by Pedrosa left the ball served to Fermín López. The player from Huelva broke down the left, giving way to the middle for Ferran Torres to finish at will. For the 'Shark', it was his 50th goal in 170 appearances with the Barça jersey.

Rafa Mir scored for Elche before halftime

Barça seemed to be heading for a quiet night in Montjuïc, but Rafa Mir narrowed the difference in the 42nd minute. The winger started from his own half on the left wing, breaking the offside trap thanks to a miscalculation by Ronald Araujo. The Azulgrana captain was also not attentive in marking, conceding too much freedom to the '10', who with a crossed shot beat Szczesny.

Ferran came close to restoring the 2-goal lead for the Barça side in the 45th minute, with a remarkable volley that Iñaki Peña cleared with a great save. Flick's team had more of the ball and found it easy to attack down the wings, taking advantage of Nuñez and Pedrosa's difficulties in defending on their opposite flanks.

However, in a defensive lapse, the team conceded another unexpected goal before halftime. In total, the team has conceded at least 1 goal in 8 matches, 7 of them with 'Tek' in goal. The Polish goalkeeper has conceded 12 goals, 7 more than Joan García conceded in the same number of matches (7).

Rashford restored calm to Barça

Ferrmín López and Marcus Rashford celebrating Barça's third goal

After the break, Eder Sarabia brought Mendoza on for Neto, while Hansi Flick kept his XI unchanged. Rashford came very close to scoring in the 47th minute, receiving a long pass freely on the left. The Englishman, however, opened his right foot too much and his shot went wide.

Rafa Mir once again generated concern in the Barça defense, with a shot off the crossbar in the 55th minute. Five minutes later, Marcus restored calm to Barcelona, taking advantage of a pass from Fermín from the side. The '16' received a good long pass from Casadó and, with time and space, assisted the Englishman, who this time did not miss from close range. Mir was close to scoring again in the 68th minute, with another shot that hit the post, this time attacking from the right. In the final fifteen minutes, the match was much more open, a product of fatigue and the changes made by both coaches.

Flick took the opportunity to give minutes to Lewandowski and Olmo, in addition to Gerard Martín. In Elche, the other academy player on loan from Barça, Héctor Fort, also participated. Near the end, Roony Bardghji and Dro Fernández also came on for Lamine and Ferran, respectively.

The Barça fans maintained the lead without difficulty and are already thinking about the trip to Bruges, for the Champions League, with their homework done in the League: preventing Real Madrid from escaping early in the lead.

Match Data: FC Barcelona 3-1 Elche

• FC Barcelona, 3: Szczesny; Koundé, Araujo, Eric García, Balde (Gerard Martín, min. 73); Casadó, De Jong; Lamine Yamal (Roony, min. 88), Fermín López (Olmo, min. 66), Marcus Rashford (Lewandowski, min. 74); Ferran Torres (Dro Fernández, min. 88).
• Elche CF, 1: Iñaki Peña; Nuñez, Vigas (Fort, min. 70), Affengruber, Pedrosa (Donald, min. 82); Aguado, Febas; Varela (Santiago, min. 70), Neto (Mendoza, min. 46), Mir; Silva (Rodríguez, min. 74).
• Goals: 1-0, Lamine Yamal (min. 9); 2-0, Ferran Torres (min. 12); 2-0, Raffa Mir (min. 42); 3-1, Marcus Rashford (min. 61).
• Referee: Miguel Sesma Espinosa. Booked Martim Neto for Elche. In general terms, the Riojan completed a good performance, free of controversies.
• Stadium: Olímpico Lluís Companys de Montjuïc.
• Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 11 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26.