Barcelona continues to move up Spanish league, beats Elche

With second-half goals from substitutes Ferran Torres and Memphis Depay, Barcelona came from behind to beat Elche 2-1 on Sunday to continue its upward move in the Spanish league.

The victory took Barcelona from fourth to third place, two points ahead of Real Betis, which hosts Atlético Madrid later Sunday. The Catalan club can finish the round in the top three for the first time since the opening round.

Moving even higher will prove more difficult. Barcelona is 15 points behind league leader Real Madrid, which routed Real Sociedad 4-1 on Saturday. Second-place Sevilla, which was held 0-0 at Alavés on Friday, is seven points ahead of Barcelona.

Barcelona has a game in hand on both Madrid and Sevilla.

The hosts opened the scoring just before halftime after Pedri González’s clearance inadvertently turned into a pass to Elche forward Fidel Chaves, who entered the area and fired a low shot into the far corner.

Barcelona was equalized in the 60th with a close-range goal by Torres, who came in for Gavi Páez at halftime. Ousmane Dembélé, back on good terms with the club after refusing to leave in the winter transfer window, helped set up the goal with a cross from the right side.

Depay, who replaced Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, scored the winner by converting an 84th-minute penalty kick called after a video review because of a handball.

Aubameyang was kept scoreless after scoring five goals in his last three games.

Barcelona had won its last three matches in all competitions, scoring four goals each time. Xavi Hernández’s team hasn’t lost in eight straight games, since the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey against Athletic Bilbao in January.

Elche, sitting in 14th place, was coming off a demoralizing 3-0 loss at last-place Levante.

ZIDANE FALTERS

Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of former France great Zinedine Zidane, made a couple of decisive blunders as Rayo Vallecano lost 2-0 at Cádiz with goals from Rubén Alcaraz and Oussama Idrissi.

Zidane let a weak header get past him for Cádiz’s first goal in the 55th, then failed to hold on to the ball after a routine cross that led to the second goal in the 63rd.

It was the first league win at home this season for 18th-place Cádiz, which moved a point from safety.

Rayo, still without the injured Colombian forward Radamel Falcao, has lost six of its last seven games in all competitions. It drew 1-1 with Betis last week in a result which meant elimination in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey.