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Barcelona defeated Elche 3-0 at the Camp Nou in La Liga on Saturday, September 17.
Barca entered this contest on the back of four wins and a draw in their opening five rounds in the league. They were second in the table, trailing Real Madrid by one point prior to kick-off. Xavi Hernandez and his men were eager to secure victory knowing Real could possibly drop points in the Madrid derby. He fielded a strong lineup in a bid to climb to the top spot.
Elche, on the other hand, were rooted to the bottom of the table coming into this contest. They managed just one point from their first five games, a 1-1 draw against 10-man Almeria. Manager Francisco and his men had a massive task at hand were they to secure any result at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona dominated possession of the ball right from kick-off as they forced Elche to camp in their own half. They kept the ball for 79% of the time and created several chances to score from. Robert Lewandowski and Memphis Depay made strong starts as they caused the visitors all sorts of problems.
Elche suffered a major setback just 14 minutes into the game. Lewandowski appeared to be through on goal and was brought down by the visitors' captain, Gonzalu Verdu. The referee deemed it to be a last-man professional foul and had no choice but to send Verdu off.
Alejandro Balde enjoyed tremendous space in wide areas and often burst forward to support Barcelona's attacks. His efforts paid off as he provided assists for both of Barca's goals in the first period. He set up Lewandowski for his side's first goal and shortly after, teed up Depay to make it 2-0 after 41 minutes.
Barcelona appeared to have made it 3-0 but Pedri's goal was canceled for offside. The hosts went into the break with a healthy two-goal cushion.
Xavi subbed Franck Kessie off after he was on a yellow and brought youngster Gavi on for the second half. Barcelona started where they left off as Lewandowski showed great composure to make it 3-0 after 48 minutes. Depay did well to stay committed to the loose ball and play it back into the Pole's feet.
Barcelona dominated possession in the second half as well but created fewer chances. Xavi used all five available substitutions to rotate his squad. Although this affected their momentum, Barca still maintained good intensity and continued to build strong moves. However, their urgency in front of goal gradually reduced as the final whistle approached.
Elche did well and showed character until the end as they defended deep and passionately despite being down to 10 men. However, Barcelona secured the win with ease. That said, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.
#5. Hit - Alejandro Balde
Balde was excellent on the ball and distributed it very well. Although he started at left-back, he made some important forward runs which helped Barcelona create chances to score from.
He provided two assists in the first half with accurate passes to the players in space. He won four of his seven duels and made one clearance. He also played two key passes, two crosses and one long ball.
#4. Flop - Franck Kessie
Kessie made a clumsy start to the game and was booked for a reckless tackle inside the first five minutes of the game. He arrived at Barca as a free agent, having run down his contract with AC Milan. Despite high expectations, the Ivorian has endured a tumultuous start to life in Spain.
Despite playing at the heart of midfield, Kessie had only 25 touches of the ball in the first half. He did not win a single duel and also failed to play a single important pass. He gave away two fouls and looked uninspired in general as he was replaced by Gavi at half-time.
#3. Hit - Memphis Depay
Depay had a great game as he constantly wanted the ball and looked to make runs behind Elche's defense. He played for nearly an hour, scored one goal and provided an assist.
Depay attempted four shots, with two on target. He also played three key passes and won four of his 11 duels. He also made two successful tackles in a well-rounded performance.
#2. Flop - Gonzalo Verdu
Captain Gonzalo Verdu and his side have made a weak start to the current campaign. In six games so far, they have managed to score just two goals and are rooted to the bottom of the table with just one point. They came into this game with little hope of securing a positive result.
However, Verdu made their task even harder. Despite knowing Barcelona possess a stronger attack and would eventually score, he rushed into a challenge after just 14 minutes. He brought Lewandowski down after the forward seemed to be through on goal. The referee showed the Elche skipper a straight red as he was the last man.
Having seen the replays, Verdu could probably have applied the slightest of pressure on Lewandowski, who had taken a heavy touch. Elche goalkeeper Edgar Badia was fast closing in on the ball as well.
#1. Hit - Robert Lewandowski
Prior to this game, Lewandowski had scored six goals and assisted two in five games. He scored a wonderful brace tonight as Barcelona secured a comfortable win against Elche.
Lewandowski seems to have adjusted to life in Spain really well. His interplay with teammates has made Barcelona formidable going forward as the goals keep flowing.
He attempted six shots, of which four were on target. He won two of his four duels and was fouled twice, one of which resulted in Gonzalu Verdu being sent off.
