Barcelona came from behind to win 2-1 at its host Elche, in an exciting match in the Spanish First Division, on Sunday, after Memphis Depay scored a late penalty kick, to continue the Catalan team’s revival after a difficult start to the season.
After falling to ninth place last November, when his former coach Ronald Koeman was sacked, Xabi Hernandez managed to move the team to third place, with 48 points, ahead of Real Bets.
Elche, who occupies the middle of the league standings, opened the scoring just before the break, when Pedri tried to remove the danger from the visitors’ penalty area, but the ball went to Fidel Chavez, who quickly overtook Dani Alves and sent a left shot from a difficult angle to the left post of German goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen.
Barcelona came from behind to win 2-1 at its host Elche, in an exciting match in the Spanish First Division, on Sunday, after Memphis Depay scored a late penalty kick, to continue the Catalan team’s revival after a difficult start to the season.
After falling to ninth place last November, when his former coach Ronald Koeman was sacked, Xabi Hernandez managed to move the team to third place, with 48 points, ahead of Real Bets.
Elche, who occupies the middle of the league standings, opened the scoring just before the break, when Pedri tried to remove the danger from the visitors’ penalty area, but the ball went to Fidel Chavez, who quickly overtook Dani Alves and sent a left shot from a difficult angle to the left post of German goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen.
Barcelona’s winning goal came after the use of the VAR technology, which awarded a penalty kick after a handball from an Elche defender in the 84th minute, to put Depay in the upper left corner.
The referee used video technology twice after that, as he refused to award two controversial penalties in favor of Elche, after two hand touches inside the area.
“Handball inside the penalty area is always under discussion,” Ter Stegen told reporters. “Players cannot take their arms out of their bodies inside the penalty area. I think the referee made the right decisions,” according to Archyde.com.