Madrid (AFP)
Without Lionel Messi injured, FC Barcelona won 2-0 in Getafe, thanks to his goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, improbable decisive passer, winning his first away success in the Championship of Spain and settling on the podium before the Atlético-Real Madrid derby.
Barça re-learned to travel: while his last victory in the official match away from Camp Nou was in April, the Catalan club won on a lob Luis Suarez (41), impeccably launched by a long opening of Ter Stegen, and on an opportunistic goal from the side Junior Firpo (49th).
Only downside, the French international defender Clement Lenglet was excluded late in the game for a second yellow card (81), which will deprive him of the shock against Sevilla, his former team, next weekend.
This welcome success, a week after a shipwreck in Granada (2-0), brings a bit of serenity to Barça: the Catalan club (2nd, 13 pts) returns temporarily to the height of Atletico Madrid (4th, 13 pts) and one point from Real Madrid (1st, 14 pts), his two big rivals of the capital, opposed in the evening to the Metropolitano stadium (21:00 / 19:00 GMT).
- Dembélé has relapsed -
A few kilometers from the enclosure of the "Colchoneros", at the Coliseum Alfonso-Pérez de Getafe, FC Barcelona has finally launched its season despite the absence of its captain Lionel Messi, victim of an elongation to a thigh, and prodigy Ansu Fati (16), hit on one knee.
In addition, the club blaugrana recorded the last minute package of the French winger Ousmane Dembélé, who relapsed with a new muscle problem in the left thigh ...
With an infirmary that is always full, Barça is a convalescent team, the game sometimes sluggish. French rookie Antoine Griezmann is still struggling to get into Barcelona's offensive circuits. And it took a rescue in extremis Ter Stegen before Angel (21st) to avoid the Catalans a new false start.
This season, the German goalkeeper is perhaps the most fit player of the Blaugrana squad, remaining imperturbable in front of the attacking opponents as well as facing the controversy he has unleashed in Germany for having asked for more responsibility in the selection against the indestructible Manuel Neuer.
- Quiet income -
After being crucial last week in the Champions League against Dortmund (0-0, a penalty stopped), "MATS" kept his clean sheet Saturday for the first time of the season in Liga.
Above all, he became a decisive smuggler: out of his surface like a "flying goalie", the German controlled his chest under the pressure of an opponent and sent a splendid opening for Suarez , which was ahead of the exit of the goalkeeper and scored a nice lob (41).
Then Barça pushed the point when Getafe goalkeeper David Soria, decidedly uninspired, fought back a shot from the excellent winger Carles Perez, allowing Junior to push the ball to the bottom to score his first goal in the shirt Barcelona (49th).
That was enough for the team of Ernesto Valverde, who had signed his worst start to the season for 25 years before beating Villarreal Tuesday at Camp Nou (2-1) and Getafe Saturday.
And as the Barcelona coach had predicted earlier this week, that is the calm that has returned to Barcelona before receiving next Wednesday Inter Milan in the Champions League.
© 2019 AFP