May 16, (THEWILL) – On Sunday night, Getafe secured their La Liga survival with a 0-0 draw against an uninspired Barcelona playing away from home.
Apart from personal pride, Barca has nothing left to play for this season, and their performance had a real end-of-season feel to it. Indeed, neither side appeared capable of breaking the tie, and it was a relief when referee Jesus Gil blew the final whistle at the Alfonso Pérez Coliseum.
From the visitors’ perspective, the first half was lacklustre. Getafe were content to stay back and soak up pressure while Barcelona lacked urgency in possession.
The hosts appeared to be the most likely to score first. Set pieces caused particular problems for the relegation-threatened Azulones, and Enes Unal forced a rare stop from Marc-Andre ter Stegen shortly before halftime.
The visitors, on the other hand, had only two attempts on goal, the first of which came in the 41st minute. Neither approach was successful in breaking the deadlock.
In the early parts of the second half, Barcelona’s sloppy attacking play continued, with Ferran Torres launching a poor chip straight at David Soria. Soon after, Enes Unal let a half-chance for Getafe go begging, and the game fell into an unfathomable quiet.
Torres finally had a shot on goal after a 23-minute break, but it was easily blocked by Getafe. The ball fell pleasantly to Alejandro Balde nine minutes from time, and he hammered a reckless effort way over.
This would be the final goalmouth action in an exhausting game. When the season comes to an end against Villarreal in seven days, Xavi will be hoping for a much stronger performance from his team and this game will be quickly forgotten.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
