Barcelona returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Elche at home on Sunday, moving back into second place in La Liga despite defensive frailties that continue to plague the Catalan side.
Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford were amongst the scorers as Hansi Flick’s men bounced back from their Clasico defeat to Real Madrid, although they remain five points adrift of the league leaders.
Ferran Torres also found the net for the hosts, but Barcelona’s defensive vulnerabilities were once again exposed, extending their run to six consecutive league matches without a clean sheet.
The champions are grappling with a mounting injury crisis, missing key players including Pedri, Gavi and Joan Garcia. However, there was positive news as Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo returned to action from the bench.
Yamal, who struggled in last weekend’s defeat after recovering from a groin problem, showed improved sharpness against ninth-placed Elche, who arrived at the Camp Nou determined to compete under former Barcelona assistant coach Eder Sarabia.
The teenage sensation opened the scoring after nine minutes when Alejandro Balde surged forward and found him inside the area. Yamal controlled the ball before curling a precise finish past Inaki Pena, his former teammate who was guarding Elche’s goal.
Torres doubled Barcelona’s advantage three minutes later, converting from close range after Fermin Lopez broke through on the left flank and delivered a perfect cross. The striker revealed a tribute shirt for Valencia, his home region, marking one year since devastating floods struck Spain’s east coast.
Despite their commanding position, Barcelona continued to create opportunities, with Lopez and Rashford both firing narrowly wide whilst Pena denied Torres.
Elche refused to surrender and Rafa Mir reduced the deficit shortly before half-time. The striker, who faces sexual assault charges dating back to 2024, beat Barcelona’s offside trap and bent his shot past Ronald Araujo and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny at the far post.
Pena produced an outstanding save to keep out Torres before the interval, whilst Mir struck the crossbar early in the second half as the visitors continued to threaten.
Rashford sealed the points with an excellent finish from Lopez’s cross, registering his second league goal of the season.
Veteran goalkeeper Szczesny preserved Barcelona’s comfortable margin late on, pushing another Mir effort onto the post as Elche pressed for a consolation.
The victory lifts Barcelona back into second place, though Flick will be concerned by his side’s defensive fragility as they seek to close the gap on Real Madrid.
