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The Catalan giants Barcelona finally have an away win this season as they beat Getafe by 2 unanswered goals at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez Stadium in the Spanish capital of Madrid.
Ernesto Valverde's side approached this game differently, as they blindsided El Geta by playing quick direct football. There were a lot of long balls to the likes of Junior Firpo and Carles Perez on the Barca flanks, as well as some quick balls to Luis Suarez down the middle.
It was a very pragmatic performance by Barca, as they needed to break the sequence of winless runs away from home. The Barcelona attack was paper-thin, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Ansu Fati, and Ousmane Dembele sitting this one out, however, Luis Suarez, Carlos Perez, and Antoine Griezmann were on hand to lead the attack.
Getafe played a high pressing game and somewhat troubled La Blaugrana for much of the first half, with Angel Rodriguez and Jaime Mata ensuring the Barca rearguard had to be on their toes throughout.
The game dragged on towards halftime, but a moment of magic from Marc-Andre ter Stegen got things going. The German international came out of his box to clear a loose ball, he hoofed the ball upfield with his weaker foot, and the ball found Luis Suarez who raced towards the El Geta box before chipping David Soria for the opening goal.
A few minutes after the restart, Barca made it 0-2, as Junior Firpo latched onto a rebound from a Perez shot, putting the ball beyond the reach of Soria for his first Barca goal.
In this article, we highlight the performances of some of the players in this encounter.
Honourable mentions: Arthur Melo (Hit), Carles Perez (Hit), Angel Rodriguez (Hit), Sergio Busquets (Hit)
Hit: Junior Firpo (Barcelona)
The 23-year old's first half was a mixed bag because he was an attacking channel for Barca on the left flank and he was also troubled time and again by Jason at left-back.
Barca played quickly on the transition, and Junior Firpo was La Blaugrana's outlet on the left flank, as he often found himself in acres of space. In the 16th minute, Firpo chipped the ball onto the path of Luis Suarez who missed the chance because he was quickly closed down by El Geta's goalkeeper.
Junior Firpo's most telling contribution came in the 49th minute, as he latched onto a rebound from a Carles Perez shot to send the ball beyond David Soria and into the Getafe net for Barca's second goal of the afternoon and his first-ever for La Blaugrana.
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Flop: David Soria (Getafe)
The 26-year-old Spaniard didn't have an entirely bad game, as he started the match quite decently. In the 11th minute, he was on hand to thwart Carles Perez, as he blocked a gilt-edged chance from the winger.
However, the Spanish shot-stopper should have done better with regards the Luis Suarez first-half goal, as well as Junior Firpo's in the second period.
Towards the end of the first half, Soria and his centre-halves were complicit as Luis Suarez received a long ball in acres of space. The Getafe backline pressed high up, and they were caught ball watching, as Suarez quickly latched onto the ball and raced towards goal. Soria was yards off his line as Suarez approached the goal, making the Uruguayan's decision easier.
For the second goal, Soria punched Perez's shot from outside the box back into play, and Junior Firpo was on hand to put the game to bed. The goalkeeper could have handled that situation better as well.
Hit: Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is touted in many quarters as the best goalkeeper in the world, and in this game, he once again reiterated his high pedigree.
The German was on hand to make several crucial saves, and he also distributed the ball with his feet pristinely, as he marshalled the Barca rearguard with aplomb.
However, his most telling contribution came in the dying embers of the first half, as he came out of his box to retrieve the ball expertly before lobbing the ball upfield with his weaker foot to Luis Suarez for the opening goal.
Flop: Clement Lenglet (Barcelona)
The centre back was impressive for much of the game alongside Gerard Pique, as they were continually harried by the likes of Angel Rodriguez and Jaime Mata. However, he got his marching orders in the second half after a second yellow, putting his teammates under unnecessary pressure.
In the 47th minute, Clement Lenglet got his first yellow after bringing down Kenedy, conceding a freekick in the process. In the 82nd minute, he made a needless challenge on Jorge Molina, stamping on the striker's foot, and he was dismissed for a second yellow card. Getafe piled on the pressure after that, as Lenglet's teammate's held on with fewer numbers.
There was no reason for that rash challenge because Barca was 2 goals up and the game was almost over.
Hit: Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
The Barca hitman was inarguably Getafe's tormentor in chief, as he continually poked and prodded El Geta's defence.
He was the outlet for La Blaugrana through the middle as they continually tried to give him quick balls into space. One of those incursions paid off, as Suarez latched onto a beautiful lob from ter Stegen, outpaced El Geta's centre backs, and lobbed Soria for the opening goal of the game. Luis Suarez also had a game-high shots contribution of 4.
