Liga, Barcelona avalanche on Elche: 4-0. Lewandowski brace

From our correspondent Filippo Maria Ricci

April 1st
– Madrid

Spin with no history. Barcelona and Elche were separated by 55 points, a record gap in the history of La Liga on the twenty-sixth day, and after tonight’s 4-0 the difference became 58 points. Barça sleeps at +15 on Madrid, engaged tomorrow against Valladolid, and continues his unstoppable march towards the title: in 20 days we have 20 clean sheets for Ter Stegen. All of Xavi’s forwards scored: brace from Lewandowski, unusually without 5 games between club and national team, and goals from Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.

ERIC GARCIA ADVANCED

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Between various unavailable and Madrid’s arrival for the fifth Clásico of the season, the second leg of Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final at the Camp Nou, Xavi has made peculiar choices. Out Christensen, Pedri and De Jong due to injury and Raphinha due to suspension, Busquets rested and surprisingly not used Kessie, with Eric Garcia deployed as a pivot in midfield between Gavi and Sergi Roberto, with Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres flanking Lewandowski. In Elche, the debut of the sixth coach of the season (including a couple on an interim basis), the Argentinian Sebastian Beccacece, Sampaoli’s historic second.

ALWAYS LEWA

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Barcelona took the lead in the 20th minute from a set piece. Jordi Alba’s cross was tamed by Araujo, ball to Lewandowski who shoots with his right foot, hits his left leg generating a trajectory that deceives the opposing goalkeeper. Barcelona continued to attack, Lewandowski missed a header, Mascarell denied Kounde a double with a providential intervention on the sunset line of the first part. And in the 11th minute of the second, a potentially important goal arrived for Barcelona and for its author: Ansu Fati was launched by Ferran Torres and flew the ball towards the opponent’s goal. Mascarell fell back and Ansu decided to strike diagonally with his right foot in a powerful and precise way for his fourth goal in La Liga, the first since last October 20th. There is a lot of talk about Ansu Fati’s future, with his father who went on the radio this week to say that his son wants to stay but he wants to take him away, this network is important for morale.

DOUBLE AND DEBUT

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Lewandowski’s second goal (66′) was propitiated by a defensive error by Nico Fernandez, as soon as he came on: great control, feint and winning right foot to reach 17 goals in La Liga and consolidate the ‘pichichi’. To complete the good evening from the offensive department, there was also the beautiful goal by Ferran Torres (70′) with a nice left-footed shot. With the game resolved came the debut in La Liga of Aleix Garrido, promise of the cantera blaugrana, born in 2004.