But at the very end of the game (85th), Nico, with a tackle, offered the unexpected victory to the Blaugrana, at the conclusion of a bright center back from Gavi.
An emotional roller coaster for Xavi’s men, who came out of three defeats and a draw in their last four games, and who had already experienced a similar scenario last weekend in Osasuna (2-2).
But this time, at the end, victory awaited them. And Barça supporters can dream of.
Because the three scorers of the evening for the Catalans are respectively 22, 17 and 19 years old, and are all hopes trained in La Masia and launched by Xavi. After Nico and Ez Abde last week, it was Ferran Jutgla who scored his first professional goal on Saturday night. He had only played one minute last weekend and officiated for the first time as a starter this Saturday.
Despite the big defensive worries that Barca suffered in the absence of Gerard Pique (suspended), Xavi did not give up when Elche equalized. On the contrary, the Catalan technician has continued to encourage his young people, and continued to believe in his playing philosophy which ignited Camp Nou in the first period. He even threw Nico, Riqui Puig and Alex Balde, other nuggets formed at the club, who managed to find the key to victory on the wire.
This success makes Xavi breathe, but Barça remains far from the top of the standings: 15 points still separate him from Real Madrid, leader, who faces Cadiz on Sunday evening (9:00 p.m.).
