Barcelona continue revival with hard-fought win over Elche


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Barcelona fought back from a goal down to earn an entertaining 2-1 win against Elche on Sunday.

A late penalty from Memphis Depay saw Barca continue their revival after a rough start to the season.

The Catalans had fallen as low as ninth back in November, following which former coach Ronald Koeman was fired. However new manager Xavi Hernandez seems to have re-energised the Spanish giants, who are in top-four contention.

Mid-table Elche opened the scoring right before halftime when Pedri tried to clear the ball but gifted a perfect assist to Fidel Chavez, who scored with an angled shot just inside the right post.

Barca then came storming back with two smart substitutes.

Ferran Torres diverted in from close range on the hour before Depay scored an 84th-minute penalty after the striker had drawn Elche's Antonio Barragan into a handball.

It also continues an impressive run of form for Xavi's side, who have not lost in the league since December and came into this game having scored four times in three consecutive games for the first time since 2017.

Barcelona had the better of the chances in the first half, the best of them coming to Frenkie de Jong, who failed to beat Edgar Badia.

Then Ousmane Dembele sprinted clear and his lifted shot was parried out to De Jong, whose follow-up was cleared off the line by Diego Gonzalez.

Elche then landed a surprise blow before half-time as Barca failed to deal with a straightforward goal kick. Amid the confusion, Pedri poked the ball past his own defence and through to Fidel, who took a touch and fired into the far corner.

Barcelona equalised on the hour as they worked the ball from left to right. Dembele drove to the line and sent in a cross. Jordi Alba was unable to intercept cleanly but Torres was in position to steer in.

Elche started to tire with Barca pushing for a winner. In the 82nd minute they got their chance as Depay wriggled around Barragan, the ball popped up and Barragan instinctively lifted his arm to meet it.

The referee consulted the replay, pointed to the spot and Depay swept the penalty into the top corner.

There was more late drama to come as Alba and Sergio Busquets both saw penalty claims for handballs waved away before Guido Carrillo headed towards the corner in the 94th minute. Marc-Andre ter Stegen dived and Barca held on for victory.

"Handballs inside the box can always be discussed," Ter Stegen told reporters.

"Players can't take their arms off their bodies inside the area. I think the referee made the right decisions."

LAST-16 FIXTURES

Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

THE DRAFT

The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.

Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan

Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe

Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi

Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath

Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh

Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh

Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar

Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Match info

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)

Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports

Updated: March 06, 2022, 6:07 PM