Barcelona Beats Getafe
Barcelona 2-1 Getafe
Barça showed they know how to fight to a win tonight, beating Getafe 2-1 with goals from Messi and Xavi, despite playing more than an hour with just 10 men after Pique was sent off on 25 minutes and finishing with 9 after Marquez also saw red.
9-man Barcelona came out 2-1 winners against Getafe at the Camp Nou through goals from Lionel Messi and Xavi. Roberto Soldado scored a late penalty, but it was no more than a consolation goal.
Messi celebrate his goal against Getafe
Lionel Messi was in scintillating form as he scored a goal and set up another to help 10-man Barcelona beat Getafe 2-1 in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Messi scored his 16th league goal of the season in the sixth minute, curling in a shot with his left foot after Yaya Toure had set him up following a corner.
In the 67th, the Argentina forward dribbled from the halfway line into the goalkeeper’s area before laying the ball on for Xavi Hernandez to score.
Roberto Soldado scored for Getafe with an injury-time penalty after Rafael Marquez was sent off for bringing down Kepa Blanco.
The result sends Barcelona eight points clear at the top with 55 points. Real Madrid, second on 47, plays Espanyol later. Third-place Valencia beat Valladolid 2-0 earlier to reach 42 points.
“It was an unusual game, we were a man down from the first half onward,” said Barcelona’s Gabriel Milito. “But we’re happy with the result, despite the penalty at the end.”
Messi nearly scored again in the 16th when he managed to control the ball yet could only manage a weak shot.
Two minutes later he threatened yet again after swapping passes with Maxwell and then Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although goalkeeper Jordi Codina got a foot to the Argentina forward’s strike.
With the goal lead and control of possession Barcelona looked comfortable. However, the champions suffered a setback in the 25th when defender Gerard Pique was ejected for a late tackle on Getafe’s Rafael Lopez. Xavi Hernandez was booked for dissent after a lengthy protest by Barcelona’s players.
With Getafe seeing more of the ball, Nicolas “Miku” Ladislao drew two fine saves in a row from Victor Valdes.
Barcelona struck back when Ibrahimovic rounded Codina and his goalbound shot from a tight angle on the right was just intercepted by Lopez.
Early in the second half Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola bolstered the midfield to make up for the numerical disadvantage, replacing Ibrahimovic, who has not scored in the last five league games, with Sergio Busquets.
Seydou Keita should have scored soon after, shooting wide when through with only Codina to beat from close range.
