Goals from Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford guided Barcelona to a 3-1 victory against Elche on Sunday, propelling the defending champions to second place in La Liga with 25 points, five adrift of the leaders, Real Madrid.
Looking to bounce back after their 2-1 defeat against Madrid in last weekend’s clásico, Barcelona wasted no time in asserting their dominance at Montjuïc’s Olympic Stadium. They made the most of two defensive errors by Elche in the opening minutes to grab a two-goal lead with strikes by Lamine Yamal and Torres in the ninth and 11th minutes.
Alejandro Balde pounced on a loose pass and delivered a precise through ball to Lamine Yamal, who showed exceptional composure, cutting inside before unleashing a left-footed shot into the top corner. It was his first league goal since 31 August and was a much-needed boost for the 18-year-old after weeks of struggling with a lingering groin injury.
Two minutes later the Elche right-back Adria Pedrosa slipped in his own half and Fermin López capitalised, pouncing on the loose ball before delivering a low cross into the six-yard box, where Torres was on hand to tap the ball into the net. Rafa Mir reduced the deficit from a quick counter but Rashford extended the home side’s lead with a great finish from inside the box in the 61st minute.
Torres told DAZN: “It was very important to start strong and intense. From there, we could take the game where we wanted it to go. We knew the type of game they were going to play and we started very strong. We were a bit off afterwards, but we found our spirit and our intensity again in the second half.”
Elsewhere, Antony scored twice and set up a goal for Abde Ezzalzouli as Betis eased to a 3-0 win against Mallorca. Celta Vigo moved away from danger as Miguel Roman grabbed a late winner at 10-man Levante, while Alavés are eighth after defeating Espanyol. Lucas Boyé scored the decisive goal before being sent off late in the game.
Inter claimed a fortunate 2-1 victory at Hellas Verona in Serie A, securing the win with a brilliant Piotr Zielinski strike and a last-gasp own goal from Martin Frese.
The Polish midfielder opened the scoring in the 16th minute, curling a superb volley into the net from Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner. Verona struck back five minutes before the break when Giovane was released down the right, holding off the Inter defence before firing home a sharp, angled shot.
In first-half stoppage time, Verona nearly went in front when a swift passing move around Inter’s box ended with a one-touch flick from Gift Orban that grazed the post before going wide. In the second half, Inter’s Yann Bisseck was fortunate to escape with only a yellow card after tripping Giovane. Deep in stoppage time, Nicolò Barella sent a long ball into the box that deflected in off the Verona defender Frese, sealing a dramatic late winner for Inter.
Milan claimed a crucial 1-0 home win against Roma, with Strahinja Pavlovic’s goal and Mike Maignan’s late penalty save tightening the battle at the top of Serie A. One point now separates the top four teams in the table with Napoli at the summit on 22 points, with Inter, Milan and Roma all on 21.
The visitors controlled the opening stages with Paulo Dybala going closest when he fired wide from a good position. Milan found the breakthrough six minutes before the interval, however. Rafael Leão burst forward down the flank before cutting the ball back across goal for Pavlovic to tap it in from close range.
Milan could have doubled their lead before the break but Youssouf Fofana fired wide and they were the stronger side early in the second half. Minutes after the hour, Leão had a golden chance to score from a tight angle but Mario Hermoso came to Roma’s rescue, clearing his effort off the line.
There was drama in the final 10 minutes when Roma were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position. The resulting shot struck Fofana’s arm in the wall, prompting the referee to point to the penalty spot. The Milan goalkeeper Maignan guessed correctly and denied Dybala’s effort, sparking jubilant celebrations around San Siro.
Elsewhere in Serie A, Fiorentina’s miserable start to the season continued as they lost 1-0 at home against Lecce. Medon Berisha’s winner for the visitors prompted home fans to call for the resignation of the manager, Stefano Pioli, who has overseen four league draws and six defeats so far in his second spell in charge.
Pisa are also still without a league win as they let a two-goal lead slip at Torino, with Che Adams scoring the equaliser at the end of the first half. Bologna sit in fifth place after coming back to win 3-1 at Parma, with Santiago Castro scoring twice.
In the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim moved into the top six with their third win in a row, Wouter Burger’s double securing a 3-2 victory at Wolfsburg. Köln are one place below in seventh after routing Hamburg 4-1, with Immanuel Pharai and Fábio Vieira both sent off for the visitors.
Lens climbed back up to third in the Ligue 1 table with a 3-0 home win against Lorient, Odsonne Édouard opening the scoring for the hosts. Lille are two points behind in fourth after they edged out Angers 1-0. Lyon slip to sixth place after a goalless draw at Brest, while Esteban Lepaul hit a hat-trick as Rennes thrashed Strasbourg 4-1.
