After happening 'in extremis' in Glass against a Second B and lose the Supercopa in front of the Athletic, the FC Barcelona faced in Elche a key party for his future in LaLiga. In which it went his second consecutive party without Leo Messi, the Catalans went back to throw a lot of less the magic and the imagination of the Argentinian. The Barcelona took in going in in the meeting and hardly generated danger against a group ilicitano that lived very comfortable replegado backwards.
The ones of Jorge Almirón planted his defence and his centre of the field near of his area and the Barça bumped one and again against the saga practically during all the first time. To the ones of Ronald Koeman cost them arrive with clarity to the area of Édgar Badía, although they tried it especially by the right side, with an Ousmane Dembélé hiperactivo that carried the leadership in the offensive line barcelonista.
The French desequilibró from his band and went back to cause good impression, but his played did not finish in at all. The first opportunity of some danger of the culés arrived to the edge of the half hour with a strike of Jordi Alba from out of the area that went by no a lot to the right of the goal ilicitana. Shortly after, Pedri went back to have occasion to shoot from the frontal, but his powerful volley was very diverted.
Although it was not arriving with clarity, the Barça himself knew presionar well the exit of balloon of an Elche that to consequence of this almost gives a goal with a cession of Barragán that was about to to surprise to Badía. Luckily for the venues, the goalkeeper saved 'in extremis', but the put did not go to be able to do at all some minutes afterwards to avoid a so much to half way between Diego González in own door and Frenkie of Jong.
Martin Braithwaite surprised with a big centre from the left to a Griezmann that did not arrive thanks to the intervention of the defence of the Elche, that unintentionally commanded the balloon to his goal. When the balloon was practically in his whole inside, arrived Of Jong to push it and aim the target. A goal importantísimo for the Barça, that encarriló a duel that was complicating before the rest.
The Barça knew to suffer and finish dominating
The Elche comprised after the go through the changing rooms that could not follow with the same plan and went up his defensive line for presionar further up. The new approach almost has prize by fault of a bad pass of Samuel Umtiti and a childish loss of Óscar Mingueza, that slept and allowed that Rigoni remained entirely only in front of Marc-André ter Stegen. Luckily, the extreme of the ilicitanos did not plant his definition and the German saved the tie taking out a foot milagroso.
After the fright, the Barça knew to react and brushed the 0-2 with a big shot of Dembélé with the left-handed that stopped with a big pulled Badía. But the balloon did not go in and the options of empatar of the venues remained intact. The Alicante followed his plan, presionando further up and incomodando in occasions to the blaugrana. Luckily, the ones of Koeman did not put nervous and followed touching and touching until it happened the initial impulse of the ilicitanos.
The group barcelonista dominated with the balloon and the venues, increasingly tired, saw more and more far of the tie to measure that happened the minutes. Trincao, that went in to the field in the 74, could sentence the crash with a good diagonal and a big shot with thread to the second stick that cleared Édgar Badía, that avoided the first so much of the luso with the T-shirt of the Barcelona.
But the ex of the Knickers went out 'juguetón' to the party and in the 86 went back to star another played of danger. Griezmann Confined by the left band and put a big balloon to the second stick that the Portuguese finished of head for the paradón of Badía. But the Barça was feeling so upper in the last minutes that finally found the sentence thanks to a big driving of Of Jong, that put it for the head butt of Riqui Puig, that carried in the field less than a minute. A target to certify a good victory of the Barça, that adds already four consecutive in LaLiga.
Technical index card of the party: Elche CF 0-2 FC Barcelona
- Elche CF: Edgar Badia; Barragán, Verdú, Diego González, Mojica; Raúl Guti (Tete Morente, min 74), Marcone, Víctor (Nino, min 82); Josan, Boyé and Rigoni (Luismi, min 74).
- FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Umtiti, Araújo, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Of Jong, Pedri (Riqui Puig, min 88); Griezmann, Dembélé (Trincao, min 74) and Braithwaite.
- Referee: Pizarro Gómez.
- Incidences: corresponding Party to the day 20 of LaLiga Santander 2020-21.
- Goals of the party: 0-1, Of Jong (min. 39); 0-2, Riqui Puig (min. 89).