La Liga: Lionel Messi leads Barcelona to 3-0 victory towards Elche

Image Source : AP Barcelona transfer again to 3rd place within the league standings, two factors behind second-place Real Madrid and 5 from chief Atlético Madrid.
Lionel Messi scored twice within the second half as Barcelona stayed close to the highest of the Spanish league by defeating Elche 3-0 on Wednesday in a match postponed from the primary spherical due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Jordi Alba additionally scored after the break to assist Barcelona transfer again to 3rd place within the league standings, two factors behind second-place Real Madrid and 5 from chief Atlético Madrid, which nonetheless has a sport in hand.

Barcelona was coming off two consecutive setbacks at residence — a 4-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain within the first leg of the spherical of 16 of the Champions League and a 1-1 draw towards Cádiz within the Spanish league.
“This win helps boost the team’s morale,” Alba said. “It wasn’t easy after the draw (in the league) and the loss in the Champions League. But we are still fighting for the league title, there are still a lot of matches left. We have to keep fighting.”
Wednesday’s match was postponed as Barcelona was among the many golf equipment given further time to relaxation after enjoying within the Champions League late into final season.
“We struggled in the first half despite controlling the game,” Alba stated. “Leo’s goals put us at ease in the second half and then we could add the third.”

Messi reached 18 league targets along with his double, shifting two forward of Atlético Madrid’s Luis Suárez — his former Barcelona teammate — on the prime of the scoring checklist. The Argentina star has scored 13 targets in his final 12 matches in all competitions, and 6 in his final 4.
Messi opened the scoring on the Camp Nou Stadium within the forty eighth minute with a shot from inside the realm after a give-and-go trade of passes with Martin Braithwaite, then added to the lead within the 68th after selecting up a cross from Frenkie de Jong and keeping off a couple of defenders earlier than discovering the web.
Alba closed the scoring within the 73rd after being arrange by Braithwaite and Messi.
It was a fourth loss in six matches for Elche, which dropped to second-to-last within the 20-team standings. It had defeated Eibar within the earlier spherical to finish a 16-game winless streak within the league.
Barcelona’s subsequent two matches are towards Sevilla — on Saturday in Seville within the Spanish league and on Wednesday at residence within the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. The Catalan membership misplaced the primary leg 2-0 away.
The second leg towards PSG within the Champions League can be on March 10 in Paris.