Barcelona secured a thrilling 3-1 away victory against Elche at the Estadio Martínez Valero in an exciting La Liga encounter.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring early with a slick finish assisted by Dani Olmo. Ferran Torres quickly doubled the advantage, heading in from a Frenkie de Jong cutback.
Elche fought back with a goal from Álvaro Rodríguez just before halftime, making it tense at the break.
In the second half, Marcus Rashford restored the two-goal cushion with a sharp strike from close range, wrapping up the win.
The victory showcased the brilliance of the young talents and the growing influence of star signing Rashford, keeping Barcelona firmly ahead of rivals Real Madrid at the top of the table.
Here are the Barcelona player ratings:
Joan García (7.5/10)
Made important saves to preserve the lead and distributed the ball confidently from the back.
Showed composure under pressure in a nervy away fixture.
Eric García (7.5/10)
Solid in possession but at fault for the equalizer as Álvaro Rodríguez got in behind him.
Recovered well defensively in the second half to help secure the clean sheet attempt.
Alejandro Balde (8/10)
Offered good support down the left with overlapping runs and defensive recoveries. Contributed to keeping Elche’s attacks limited, especially in wide areas.
Jules Koundé (7/10)
Handled his defensive duties reliably and supported attacks when possible.
His positioning and interceptions were crucial in containing Elche’s counter threats.
Frenkie de Jong (9/10)
Provided the key assist for Ferran Torres’ goal with excellent vision and composure.
Controlled the midfield effectively, maintaining possession and breaking up Elche’s counters.
Dani Olmo (8/10)
Delivered a precise through ball to set up Lamine Yamal’s opener and created several chances.
His intelligent movement and passing helped Barcelona dominate transitions in the first half.
Fermín López (8.5/10)
Brought energy and creativity in midfield, linking well with the attackers.
His pressing and off-ball movement helped disrupt Elche’s build-up play.
Raphinha (8/10)
Threatened with his direct running and shots, but was wasteful in front of goal at times.
Added width and energy on the left, stretching the home defense.
Lamine Yamal (9/10)
Scored the early opener with a clinical finish after Dani Olmo’s assist and also provided the assist to the 3rd goal, a constant threat on the right wing.
His pace, dribbling, and creativity unsettled Elche’s defense throughout, making him the standout performer.
Ferran Torres (8/10)
Bounced back from an early miss by scoring the decisive second goal just before halftime.
Worked tirelessly as a forward, linking play well and showing resilience under pressure.
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