Goals from Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford guided Barcelona to a 3-1 victory over Elche on Sunday, propelling the defending champions to second place in La Liga with 25 points, five adrift of the leaders, Real Madrid.
Looking to bounce back after their 2-1 loss to Madrid in last weekendâ€s clásico, Barcelona wasted no time in asserting their dominance at Montjuïcâ€s Olympic Stadium. They made the most of two defensive errors by Elche in the opening minutes to grab a two-goal lead with strikes by Lamine Yamal and Torres in the ninth and 11th minutes.
The first came when David Affengruberâ€s errant pass was intercepted by Alejandro Balde. The left-back surged forward and delivered a precise through ball to Lamine Yamal, who showed exceptional composure, cutting inside before unleashing a left-footed shot into the top corner. It was his first league goal since 31 August and was a much-needed boost for the 18-year-old after weeks of struggling with a lingering groin injury.
Two minutes later, the Elche right-back Adria Pedrosa slipped while attempting to control the ball in his own half and Fermin López capitalised, pouncing on the loose ball and racing to the byline before delivering a low cross into the six-yard box, where Torres was on hand to tap the ball into the net, doubling Barcelonaâ€s advantage.
Rafa Mir reduced the deficit, scoring from a quick counterattack right before the break, but Rashford extended the home sideâ€s lead with a great finish from inside the box in the 61st minute, securing three valuable points.
Elche continued to fight and went close to narrowing the deficit again in the 67th minute, with Mir rattling the woodwork for the second time. Despite the visitors†efforts, Barcelona maintained control in the closing stages to secure three valuable points.
Torres told Dazn: “It was very important to start strong and intense. From there, we could take the game where we wanted it to go. We knew the type of game they were going to play and we started very strong. We were a bit off afterwards, but we found our spirit and our intensity again in the second half.â€
Inter claimed a fortunate 2-1 victory at Hellas Verona in Serie A, with a brilliant Piotr Zielinski strike and a last-gasp own goal from Martin Frese securing the win.
In the 16th minute Hakan Calhanogluâ€s corner found an unmarked Zielinski on the edge of the box. The Polish midfielder curled a superb right-footed volley into the top-left corner to open the scoring.
Verona struck back five minutes before the break when Giovane was released down the right, holding off the Inter defence before firing home a sharp, angled shot. In first-half stoppage time, Verona nearly turned the match around when a swift passing move around Interâ€s box ended with a one-touch flick from Gift Orban that grazed the base of a post before going wide.
The second half began at a slower tempo with few clear chances until Verona launched a counterattack that ended with Interâ€s Yann Aurel Bisseck fortunate to escape with only a yellow card after tripping Giovane.
Deep in stoppage time, as the rain poured down, Nicolò Barella sent a long ball into the box that deflected off the Verona defender Frese and spun into the bottom corner, sealing a dramatic late winner for Inter.
Milan claimed a crucial 1-0 home win over Roma, with Strahinja Pavlovicâ€s goal and Mike Maignanâ€s late penalty save tightening the battle at the top of Serie A.
Milan players celebrate Mike Maignanâ€s penalty save. Photograph: Giuseppe Cottini/AC Milan/Getty Images
One point now separates the top four teams in the table with Napoli at the summit on 22 points, with Inter Milan, Milan and Roma all on 21.
The visitors controlled the opening stages, creating chances and dominating play, with Paulo Dybala going closest when he fired wide from a good position.
However, Milan found the breakthrough six minutes before the interval with a swift counter-attack. Rafael Leão burst forward down the flank before cutting the ball back across goal for Pavlovic to tap it in from close range. Milan could have doubled their lead before the break but Youssouf Fofana fired wide.
Milan had the upper hand in the second half, pressing relentlessly in search of a second goal. Minutes after the hour mark, Leão had a golden chance to score from a tight angle, but Mario Hermoso came to Romaâ€s rescue, clearing his effort off the line.
There was drama in the final 10 minutes when Roma were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position. The resulting shot struck the arm of a jumping Fofana in the wall, prompting the referee to point to the penalty spot. However, Milan goalkeeper Maignan guessed correctly and denied Dybalaâ€s effort, sparking jubilant celebrations around the stadium.
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