FC Barcelona defeat Elche to recover from El Clasico loss and reclaim second place in La Liga | OneFootball

Yamal, Torres and Rashford on target as Barca restore confidence and stay within five points of Real Madrid

FC Barcelona defeat Elche to recover from El Clasico loss and reclaim second place in La Liga

Barcelona responded to last week’s El Clasico defeat with convincing 3-1 victory over Elche at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium on Sunday night regaining momentum in the La Liga title race.

After turbulent week following the 2-1 loss to Real Madrid, Hansi Flick’s men showed early intent and dominance. Teen sensation Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 9th minute with composed finish after swift attacking move.

Just three minutes later, Ferran Torres doubled the lead converting from close range following sustained pressure from the hosts.

Despite Barcelona’s control, Elche managed to pull one back in the 42 minute through Rafa Mir capitalising on defensive lapse to make it 2-1 at halftime.

In the second half, Marcus Rashford who continues to find rhythm in his new surroundings restored Barcelona’s two goal cushion in the 61st minute with precise strike inside the box sealing much needed win for the Catalan side.

Standings & outlook

The result lifts Barcelona to 25 point reclaiming second place in the La Liga table, 5 points behind leaders Real Madrid (30).

Elche remain ninth with 14 point.

Current top five standings:

What’s next

The victory comes as morale boost ahead of critical week – Barcelona travel to Belgium on Wednesday to face Club Brugge in Champions League before visiting Celta Vigo in La Liga next Sunday.