It took Barça more than an hour to finish a match that they could have resolved long before half-time in the expectant Martínez Valero. The Blaugrana got tired of missing goals in a downhill match due to Elche’s condescension. The lack of tension confused Flick’s team, clumsy in both areas, also in theirs, as is usual, unable to adjust the marks and support Joan García. The contest seemed so easy that Barcelona played with fire for a long time until the score was 1-3, the player who marks the difference in each match for the League leader.
1
Iñaki Peña, John Donald, David Affengruber (Léo Pétrot, min. 73), Victor Chust, Rodrigo Mendoza, Adrià Pedrosa, Germán Valera, Marc Aguado (Federico Redondo, min. 55), Grady Diangana (Martim Neto, min. 59), André Silva (Adam El Mokhtari, min. 59) and Álvaro Rodríguez (Lucas Cepeda, min. 74)
3
Joan García, Jules Koundé (Ronald Araujo, min. 83), Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Alejandro Balde, Dani Olmo (Marc Bernal, min. 61), Frenkie de Jong, Fermín López (Marc Casadó, min. 84), Raphinha (Marcus Rashford, min. 45), Lamine Yamal y Ferran Torres (Robert Lewandowski, min. 61)
Goals
0-1 min. 5: Lamine Yamal. 1-1 min. 28: Álvaro Rodríguez. 1-2 min. 39: Ferrán Torres. 1-3 minutes. 71: Rashford
Referee Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz
yellow cards
John Donald (min. 37), Sarabia (min. 73), Rodrigo Mendoza (min. 75), Frenkie De Jong (min. 89)
Flick insisted with Fermín while De Jong positioned himself as a midfielder and Eric García retreated to the central position to mix with Cubarsí. A very offensive formation, topped by Ferran as a false center forward, and nominally the best in the absence of Pedri. Casadó has become a substitute and the coach manages Bernal’s minutes a lot. Although he does not renounce possession, the midfield is often an area of passage rather than creation at a time when the game is absorbed mainly by Lamine. The winger showed his excellent moment as soon as he touched the ball after a deep pass from Olmo. Iñaki Peña stayed halfway out and enabled the dribble and shot for Barça’s number 10.
Elche offered many spaces and enabled the transitions of the Barça team, so comfortable that they let themselves go on the field, convinced that they could score again in any of their arrivals against a naked rival, conditioned by losses, repetitive in losses and, however,. It is already known that Barcelona does not close well regardless of the score, being too exposed when the offside line is called, and its concessions usually compromise Joan García. This is what happened when Valera took the ball on the divide and enabled Álvaro Rodríguez’s run into the open field to score 1-1, after the crossbar spit out a shot from Olmo.
The two posts also returned a shot from Ferran in a very open match due to Barcelona’s lack of forcefulness. The Blaugranas did not refine their definition, too tame, not very tense, much superior to Elche, very exposed and fragile, with no other support than the encouragement of the Martínez Valero fans. The chances continued without anyone managing to push the ball into the net until Ferran finished one, which combined speed and pause equally well to break Peña. Fermín would forgive the 1-3 score shortly after, a shot from Raphinha narrowly escaped to the left of the Elche goalkeeper and Chust took the ball before it slipped into the goal in an action by Ferran, who started ahead of Lewandowski.
By the time the break was reached, Barça had shot at their former teammate Peña’s goal up to 12 times. The excellent waistline of the team contrasted with the clumsiness of their feet when it came to finishing the game and closing the match that Lamine had put on track. Elche was able to maintain its bet because the scoreboard supported its plan against the Barça team who lost when they did not have the ball, vulnerable on their court and without control of the game, delighted that the match depended on the offside and the virtuosity of Lamine.
The wheel of changes proposed a new scenario in which long possessions prevailed over gas, now without Olmo, angry at Flick’s replacement. Elche then had its moment when Adam also missed a goal after an excellent maneuver by Neto against Eric and Cubarsí. Adam’s mistake was followed by another from Rashford. The Englishman finally put an end to the game of errors after one of the most difficult actions due to the control of Lamine with his head and the rejection of Affengrube Affengruber. Although the nonsense continued, the victory was now indisputable for an overwhelmingly superior Barça in Elche.
