Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 23:01 | Updated 11:24 p.m.

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Barça did not need its best version this Wednesday to continue its immaculate streak in the League. The team led by Hansi Flick beat Getafe at the Lluis Companys by the minimum in a match without much brilliance, but in which a goal from Robert Lewandowski in the first half was enough to tip the balance. The Polish striker’s goal, after an error by David Soria, rewarded the leader, who remains unstoppable after seven days.

The match, however, started awkwardly for Barcelona. Whether it was due to the shock still prevailing due to Ter Stegen’s injury or the predictable rockiness of Getafe, the culés entered the match cold, even though Flick had an eleven with few changes beyond those forced by injury. As soon as Pedri rotated among the theoretical starters, he left his place in the eleven for Pablo Torre, who was placed in the midfield position, the one in which his talent best emerges.

The idea was the same as always, but with nuances. Barça wanted the ball, but on this occasion they lowered their pressure in the opposite field by one point so that Getafe came out of the cave and thus had more space. That trap could have cost Flick after Carles Pérez connected with a great header that Iñaki Peña blocked on the goal line. It was the warning that the Barça team needed to confirm that what works best not be touched. From there, everything changed. Lamine Yamal and Balde opened the field, Pablo Torre appeared between the lines and little by little they led José Bordalás’ team to a wear and tear in which it was time to chase shadows.

Barcelona

Iñaki Peña, Koundé, Cubarsí (Héctor Fort, 88 min), Iñigo Martínez, Balde (Gerard Martín, 88 min), Marc Casado, Eric García, Lamine Yamal, Pablo Torre (Ferran Torres, 63 min), Raphinha and Lewandowski (Pedri, min. 77).

1

–

0

Getafe

David Soria, Juan Iglesias, Djené (Rico, min. 87), Alderete, Berrocal, Álex Sola (Keita, min. 65), Aleñá (Borja Mayoral, min. 63), Milla, Yellu (Arambarri, min. 63), Carles Pérez y Uche (Yildirim, min. 80).

• Goals: 1-0: min. 19, Lewandowski.

• Referee: González Fuertes (Asturian Committee). He cautioned Arambarri and Raphinha.

• Incidents: Match corresponding to the seventh day of the League, played at the Lluis Companys in front of 44,407 spectators.

In one of those the goal came almost under its own weight. Koundé gained the baseline and his cross was not blocked by David Soria, who left the goal for Lewandowski to score into an empty goal. The Pole, without much noise, has already scored seven goals and his goal paved the way for a Barça team that had less fluidity in the first half than in previous games. The culés had the ball more than 75% of the time, but they got tangled up against an opponent installed just a few meters away and with permanent help. Just a one-on-one from Lewandowski that was thwarted by David Soria and the goal produced some frustrated Barça players facing a common scenario in other seasons, but which had not yet appeared this season. It was time to chew up the encounter.

After the restart the exercise of patience continued. Getafe wanted to reach the final stretch of the match alive and Barça continued to face an opponent that never got into disarray. The culés increased the pace of the match, insisted on wing play and little by little the chances began to arrive in a kind of incessant trickle. Marc Casadó, very active throughout the match, shot deflected and Lamine Yamal made his now traditional diagonal from outside to inside which he resolved with a left foot shot to the long post that found David Soria, determined to correct his mistake of the first half.

The game at this point was already dangerous. Not so much because of what was happening on the pitch, but because of the narrowness of a scoreboard that had remained immovable for many minutes. Flick knew it, and he looked at the bench in search of solutions to solve the puzzle. He brought on Ferran Torres and Pedri to renew the intensity of his team, but it was not the day for a Barça team that little by little became infected with Getafe’s rhythm. The last minutes were a can’t and don’t, not the other way around, in which the azulgranas did not want to take any more risks and in which the azulgranas showed no resources to achieve a draw, although Borja Mayoral had it alone against Iñaki Peña and He failed when Barça already feared a draw ‘in extremis’.

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