The leader does not fail and walks away
What a great game from Barcelona in Elche. They won 1-3 with a heart-stopping first half and, most importantly, opened a four-point lead over Real Madrid. A deep breath for the culés.
And it all started with a name: Lamine Yamal. The 18 year old is a machine. He scored the first after six minutes, assisted the third and was a constant headache for the local defense. He has scored three games in a row.
“It still has the potential to reach another level,”
said Hansi Flick about his young star.
And boy did he prove it. His goal was a work of art: a long pass from Dani Olmo, a clean pass against Iñaki Peña and a cold finish. There are now 13 goals in the season.
A brave Elche that couldn’t
Credit must be given to Eder Sarabia’s team. With a modest squad, they stood up and wanted to play on the attack against the leader. They even tied briefly with a goal from Álvaro Rodríguez.
But Barça’s quality ended up prevailing. Ferran Torres, after hitting the post twice, scored 1-2 before the break after a beautiful team play with Frenkie de Jong.
The second part was total control. Marcus Rashford, who came on at half-time, closed the scoring after another great action from Yamal. The numbers don’t lie: 30 shots in favor compared to 9.
“We played a fantastic game today, except in the final meters”,
Flick acknowledged. “Normally in the first half we would have decided this game.”
Now we have to wait for what Madrid does against Rayo. But today, Barça’s message is clear: they are serious about this title.
