Barça Atlètic won their seventh game of the season at Vila-Joiosa thanks to a goal in injury time. They left it late, having squandered several chances to settle the win earlier on.

Luis Enrique’s side are in the top half of the table with seven wins and 24 points, with a game in hand, after this important win on the road at Vila Joiosa.

First threats

Barça went straight onto the attack from the outset. Playing in a well-structured formation, it was Benja (20) who produced the first threat against the Valencia based side by making a penetrating run through the defence, but his one on one with the goalkeeper saw Nico turn the ball behind for a corner.

Barça monologue

Luis Enrique’s side totally dominated the first 45 minutes, but the goal didn’t come. Vila-Joiosa were pegged back in their own half, and only managed a few responses on the counter. One of those came on the half hour, when Nolito latched onto a through ball, but saw his shot thunder onto the bar.

Dominating on the wings, Barça were in full command, and the defence rarely broke into much of a sweat. Vila-Joiosa hardly crossed their half way line, yet once again it was a counter attack that almost produced a goal against the run of play, but the defence coolly dealt with Rojas’s threatening run.

Change of dynamic

Vila-Joiosa seemed much more intense after the break, and it reached the point that it was no longer so easy to work out which side was really in control. Luis Enrique switched Oriol Romeu (18) for Gai Asulin (18) to get some more speed, but Barça Atlétic continued to produce genuine attacking threats and the Valencians were gaining more and more confidence. Pepín, a former Barça youth player, could have score but dallied too long, and Montoya (18) tackled him before he could shoot.

Late reward

As the clock ran down, it looked like both sides were going to settle for a draw. But that’s not the Barça way, and in the final move of the game, Thiago Alcantara (18), who has just returned from a serious knee injury, intercepted a pass and slid a beautiful ball through to Jonathan (24), whose powerful drive found the back of the net and gifted Barça three very useful points (0-1).

Starting Eleven:
Ruben Mino
Martin Montoya
Victor Espasandin
Marc Bartra
Marc Muniesa
Oriol Romeu (Gai Assulin 54′)
Edu Oriol
Jose Rueda
Benja Martinez (Jonathan, 77′)
Ilie Sanchez (Thiago, 71′)
Nolito.

Goals:
Jonathan Soriano (90′) 0-1;

Standings:
1 Mallorca B 32
2 Ontinyent 31
3 Sant Andreu 29
4 Benidorm 28
5 Alcoyano 25
6 F.C. Barcelona B (13) 24
7 Alicante (13) 22
8 Denia (13) 21
9 Orihuela (13) 20
10 Gramanet 19
11 Sporting Mahones 19
12 Union Deportiva Logroñes 16
13 Badalona 16
14 Espanyol B 15
15 Villajoyosa 13
16 Sabadell 13
17 Lleida 11
18 Terrassa 7
19 Gava 7
20 Valencia-mestalla 5