August 14, (THEWILL) – A fiery goalless draw between Barcelona and Getafe in La Liga’s opening weekend, saw red cards shown to Raphinha, Xavi Hernandez and Jaime Mata in an ill-tempered affair.
Tensions boiled over throughout the match, with the three dismissals marring what was otherwise an intriguing tactical battle between two motivated sides. Unfortunately, Raphinha saw straight red just before half-time after swinging his forearm into Gaston Alvarez, while manager, Xavi, was also given his marching orders in the second half for dissent. Mata picked up two yellow cards for Getafe, who battled admirably despite being under siege from Barcelona for much of the match.
Chances were scarce in a match filled with tough challenges and petulant behaviour. Goal merchant, Robert Lewandowski, came closest to scoring for Barcelona, while Oriol Romeu forced a good save early on. Ez Abde caused problems for Getafe after coming on, but neither side could fashion a breakthrough.
In the end, both teams will rue the lack of discipline that saw the three dismissals. For Barcelona, the draw is a disappointing start to Xavi’s first full season in charge, while Getafe will be happy to escape with a point despite being under pressure for long periods.
The match was a spicy opening act for the new La Liga season, albeit one lacking in quality. While the tension added drama, both sets of players will know they must keep their heads to achieve their objectives this season.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
