ELCHE: Robert Lewandowski scored twice as leaders Barcelona won 4-0 at bottom side Elche on Saturday to go provisionally 15 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

While the Catalan side took another step towards their 27th La Liga title, Real will look for a win against Valladolid late on Sunday to keep their slim hopes alive.

La Liga top scorer Lewandowski got back on goal trail after three goalless league games, opening the scoring in the 20th minute with a close-range finish after Ronald Araujo headed the ball down to him in front of goal.

Ansu Fati doubled the lead in the 55th minute after picking up a Ferran Torres pass in his own half and breaking forward towards the edge of the box before firing low into the far corner to score in the league for the first time since October.

Barcelona’s trademark high pressing paid off in the 65th minute when Gavi stole the ball off the Elche defence to set up Lewandowski in the box, who had no trouble scoring his second of the night.

Torres got on the scoresheet in the 70th-minute, slotting his shot into the left corner for his third league goal of the campaign.Elche are on the brink of relegation with 13 points from 27 games, 14 points adrift of the safety zone.

Earlier, Lucas Ocampos and Youssef En-Nesyri struck to earn new Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar a crucial 2-0 victory over relegation rivals Cadiz in his first game in charge.

Mendilibar replaced Jorge Sampaoli in the international break.

His team rose to the challenge with a back-to-basics display to move into midtable, winning on the road in La Liga for the first time since October.

Sevilla struggled to create chances in a tight first half which the hosts shaded, but Ocampos broke the deadlock soon after the break on a rebound from a corner.

En-Nesyri finished well to double his team’s lead after Bryan Gil cushioned the ball into his path with a nice touch.

Sevilla climbed to 13th, five points above the relegation zone, while Cadiz are 16th, two points clear of the drop. Elsewhere, Girona, 10th, snatched a 2-1 win in a Catalan derby clash with Espanyol, leaving the Pericos 17th, a point above the relegation zone.Getafe earned a creditable 0-0 draw at Athletic Bilbao and sit 14th.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2023