Elche vs Barcelona: Super Sub Ferran Torres Inspires the Blaugrana to Victory, Elche Unhappy With Referee

• Barcelona had to come from behind to beat Elche 2-1, and move up to third place on the La Liga table
• Ferran Torres scored from close range and Memphis Depay converted a penalty as Barcelona beat Elche
• Elche fans were unhappy with the referee as he gave Barcelona a penalty and then denied Elche one, just minutes later

Barcelona came from a goal down to beat Elche and climb to third in the La Liga standings.

Substitutes, Ferran Torres and Memphis Depay, inspired Barcelona to a thrilling victory in a game that was high action from beginning to end.

At the end of the first half, Barcelona should have been at least five or six goals up. Barcelona dominated the first half hours as they peppered the Elche goal with attempts.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembélé and Frenkie de Jong all failed to put away chances. De Jongh had undoubtedly the best chance of the first half for the Barca, as his shot was cleared off the line by Diego González.

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Elche started to grow in confidence the more Barcelona missed, and after the half-hour mark, the hosts started to fashion their own chances. Pere Milla fired just over the bar from outside the box on the 36th minute and Tete Morente shot high from close range.

Two minutes before the end of the half, Elche finally scored. A mistake by Pedri saw Fidel Chaves race towards goal and fire home from a tight angle, across Marc-André ter Stegen.

Elche went into the break with a lead but it didn’t last too long after the resumption of the game.

Ferran Torres was brought and made an immediate impact as he started attacking the Elche goal. ON the hour mark, he was rewarded for his efforts as he toe-poked the ball into the back of the net. Elche almost hit back immediately as Milla saw a shot tipped over the bar by Ter Stegen.

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Barcelona then came on the offensive as they sought to find a winner. The rest of the half was end to end stuff as both teams played for a win.

Barca were then awarded a penalty in the 82nd minute as Antonio Barragán was adjudged to have handled in the box.

The defender tried to subtly nudge the ball away with his shoulder. The referee at first didn’t give the spot kick but changed his mind after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened. Memphis Depay stepped up and put away the penalty to give Barca the lead.

On 86 minutes it was Elche appealing for a penalty when a corner hit Jordi Alba’s arm in the box. The referee did not give a penalty and neither did VAR, with commentators noting that it was more a ‘ball to arm’ offence and not intentional.

Five minutes of extra time were added on but it was Barcelona who looked more likely of scoring again. Elche had another appeal for handball in the 94th minute, but the ball hit Pique in the midriff.

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Barcelona then had a penalty appeal at the end of the game as Adama Traore was brought down in the box. The referee waved it away and blew the whistle to bring the game to an end.

Barca picked up the win, a victory which sees them move up to third in the La Liga standings.

Elche vs Barcelona: The Blaugrana look to end Elche's impressive home record and climb up to 3rd in La Liga

Elche will host a resurgent Barcelona side in La Liga today, with two undefeated streaks on the line. On paper, the match looks like another easy fixture for Barcelona. The Blaugrana are 16 points and 10 places ahead of their hosts on the La Liga table.

Games aren’t played on paper though and Elche are no pushovers. According to Barca Blaugranes, Elche are unbeaten at home in La Liga since November 2021. They haven’t had the best record against Barcelona though. In the last eight games between the teams in all competitions, Barcelona have beaten Elche every single time.

As reported by WhoScored, Barcelona are also unbeaten in ten games in La Liga. With Xavi Hernandez managing the squad and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the line, Barcelona looks like a much different team than the one that started the season so poorly.