Barcelona continued their impressive run in Spain’s LaLiga by securing a comfortable 4-0 victory over struggling Elche on Saturday. The win saw Barca increase their lead at the top of the table to 15 points, leaving their nearest challengers, Real Madrid, requiring a substantial miracle to catch up.
Lewandowski leads the way for Barcelona with brace
Robert Lewandowski was the star of the show and made his presence felt early on in the game by scoring a goal in the first half to give Barcelona the lead. Lewandowski then followed it up with another goal in the second half, taking his league tally to an impressive 17 goals for the season. In addition to his two goals, Ansu Fati, who had been out of action since October with an injury, made his eagerly awaited return by scoring his first league goal since his layoff.
Barcelona boss praises team’s unity and depth
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez was full of praise for his team after the match, saying he was delighted with their performance, particularly highlighting the players who had been on the fringes or who had not played much before. According to him, everyone delivered no matter who played. This only goes to demonstrate how much depth and unity Barcelona have in their ranks heading into a crucial phase of the season.
Elche face relegation threat after latest loss
In contrast, things look dire for Elche as they remain rock bottom of the LaLiga table with only 13 points from 27 games, which is 14 points adrift from safety. Despite playing under new coach Sebastián Beccacece for the first time, they never looked likely to trouble Barcelona and now face a real battle to avoid relegation.
Real Madrid’s slim title hopes fade away
This win dealt a decisive blow to Real Madrid’s title defence. The 15-point gap between them and Barcelona means that they have to win all their remaining games and hope that the Catalan giants slip up at some point in the run-in. They will have to start by winning against Valladolid on Sunday if they are to keep their slim hopes alive.
Barcelona look ahead to Copa del Rey showdown with Real Madrid
Barcelona’s attention will now turn to their Copa del Rey semifinal second leg tie against arch-rivals Real Madrid. They lead 3-0 after the first leg and will be favourites to progress to the final, despite it being held at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Overall, this was another routine victory for Barcelona as they continue their dominant form under Xavi Hernandez. With their collective depth and unity, it would take a monumental collapse for them to surrender their LaLiga title advantage from here on out.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
