Barcelona Frustrated Again and Held
to Draw at Getafe

Madrid, 19 Jan (ONA) — Barcelona
was bested yet again by Getafe’s defense in a 1-1 draw in the Spanish LaLiga,
while Atletico Madrid’s club record winning streak ended after a late penalty
miss by Antoine Griezmann.

Barcelona got its first goal in five
visits to Getafe, thanks to Jules Koundé’s goal in the 10th minute, but Getafe
equalized and clamped down to get a fourth consecutive draw at its stadium
against the powerhouse.

The last time Barcelona won at
Coliseum Stadium was in 2019, making the fixture a yearly quagmire for the
Catalan club, the Spanish MARCA newspaper reported.

Real Madrid will aim to take
advantage of the slips by its title rivals when it hosts Las Palmas tonight.

Atletico’s 1-0 loss to Leganes, its
first loss since 27 October 2024, left it one point ahead of Madrid.

Barcelona was five points behind the
front-runner. This round marks the beginning of the second half of the league.

Barcelona was coming off huge wins:
A 5-2 thrashing of Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final and a 5-1 win over Real
Betis in the Copa del Rey. Barcelona visits Benfica in the Champions League this
Tuesday.

But José Bordalas’s Getafe, with its
physical, defensive style, once again frustrated Barcelona in Hansi Flick’s
first visit as its coach.

Koundé put Barcelona ahead when
Pedri threaded a pass to meet the right back’s move into the area. Goalkeeper
David Soría blocked his first effort, but Koundé scrambled the rebound out of
Soría’s grasp and over the line.

Moments after Raphinha headed a
cross by Koundé into the side netting, Getafe levelled in the 34th during a
defensive let-down by the visitors. Mauro Arambarri put in a loose ball after
Iñaki Peña did well to make a one-handed save of a volley by Coba de Costa.

— Ends/Khalid