Barcelona defeated Elche 3–1 in a mature performance to keep up their pursuit of Real Madrid atop the La Liga standings.
After a poor performance in El Clásico that saw Barcelona lose to their bitter rivals for the first time in the Hansi Flick era, the Catalans were obligated to collect all three points against Elche.
Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres scored inside 15 minutes to ignite Barcelona’s win. Rafa Mir pulled one back for the visitors on the verge of halftime, but a second half goal from Marcus Rashford allowed the Blaugranas to cruise to the finish line.
Although it was far from a brilliant showing, the result is all that matters and it will help lift the mood inside the La Liga champions’ dressing room ahead of a trip to Belgium to face Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Elche (4-2-3-1)
GK: Wojciech Szczęsny—7.2: The veteran Pole was rarely tested but did have a key save in the second half to maintain Barça’s two-goal lead. He was poised and accurate when abandoning his goal to play as a sweeper.
RB: Jules Koundé—7.3: Koundé had a quiet night but did a good job whenever he was tested defensively.
CB: Ronald Araújo—7.2: Barcelona’s captain should’ve been tighter to try and deny Mir space to shoot for Elche’s goal. Other than that blemish, it was a solid showing from the Uruguayan.
CB: Eric García—7.2: After a poor showing in El Clásico, García bounced back with a strong defensive performance, stifling André Silva the entire night.
LB: Alejandro Balde—7.6: One of the best performances of the season from Balde. He tirelessly ventured forward with intent until his substitution and bagged his first assist of the season.
CM: Marc Casadó—6.2: Casadó did a fine job anchoring Barcelona’s midfield and offering balance to Flick’s side.
CM: Frenkie de Jong—7.9: Playing in Pedri’s role, the Dutchman was excellent, exploiting his quality as a ball-carrier to constantly start attacks. One of the best players on the night.
RW: Lamine Yamal—7.9: Barcelona’s No. 10 scored his first open play goal of the season at home. Although he was relatively quiet, with Barça’s attack tilting towards the left wing, he looked dangerous with the ball at his feet.
AM: Fermín López—8.5: López continued his brilliant form. He was at the heart of Barcelona’s most dangerous actions all night and exited the game after collecting two assists.
LW: Marcus Rashford—7.9: The England international had his fair share of missed opportunities but scored a brilliant goal.
ST: Ferran Torres—8.2: Torres had a strong first half, scoring a goal and pressing tirelessly to generate some dangerous turnovers. His influence dropped significantly after the break.
Subs not used: Diego Kochen (GK), Eder Aller (GK), Xavi Espart, Marc Bernal, Pau Cubarsí.
Elche (4-3-3)
Starting XI: Iñaki Peña; Álvaro Núñez, David Affengruber, Pedro Bigas, Adrià Pedrosa; Martim Neto, Marc Aguado, Aleix Febas; Germán Valera, André Silva, Rafa Mir.
Subs used: Rodrigo Mendoza, Yago Santiago, Héctor Fort, John Donald.
Player of the Match: Fermín López
Barcelona 3–1 Elche—How It Unfolded in Montjuic
Injuries continue to compromise Flick’s squad. The game against Elche marked the first time since mid-January that Pedri was not part of Barcelona’s lineup. Raphinha and Joan García were other regular starters that were unavailable through injury.
From the moment the starting whistle blew, the Catalans looked like a side determined to snap out of their recent slump. It took the hosts nine minutes to score the opener, as Balde went on one of his trademarked runs to set-up Yamal, who calmly cut inside and tucked his shot into the far corner to score his first open-play goal since August.
LAMINE YAMAL CUTS IT BACK WITH HIS LEFT FOOT AND SLOTS IT HOME 🏠 pic.twitter.com/5CltakpU3B
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 2, 2025
Three minutes later, Barcelona doubled their advantage. Fermín López took advantage of a poor clearance attempt and took off down the left before sending an inch-perfect cross that Ferran Torres simply tapped-in to score his fifth league goal of the term.
Barcelona continued to dominate but failed to generate clear scoring opportunities. On the verge of halftime, Elche pulled one back through Rafa Mir. The Spaniard was set free on a counter attack and Ronald Araújo failed to close down the space, allowing Mir to pick out a shot into the bottom corner to give the visitors life.
Torres has a chance to restore Barcelona’s two-goal advantage before the break, but Barça loanee Iñaki Peña denied him with a sensational close-range save.
Barcelona continued to squander chances out of the break, with Marcus Rashford missing a clear opportunity with only Peña to beat. Elche nearly equalized in the 55th minute, with a curling shot from Mir hitting the crossbar.
Eventually Rashford’s insistence paid off. The England international received a beautiful ball from Fermín, got away from his man and fired a weak-foot rocket that ricocheted off the crossbar and into the back of the net to score his first home league goal in Barça colors a day after his 28th birthday.
MARCUS RASHFORD WHAT A FINISH ‼️ pic.twitter.com/hK0CwOBEPa
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 2, 2025
Rashford’s goal restored a sense of calm for the hosts. Barcelona controlled the final 20 minutes of the game and Flick was able to give cameos to Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski, with the previously injured pair seeing their first action since the October international break.
The Catalans cruised to the finish line and secured a much needed victory that saw them move up to second in the standings, five points adrift of leaders Real Madrid. Up next, a Champions League bout away to Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Barcelona vs. Elche Halftime Stats
Barcelona vs. Elche Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Elche: Champions Rebound With Emphatic Victory.