Barcelona held to 1–1 draw by Getafe, extends winless run in La Liga to four matches

KATHMANDU: Barcelona’s struggles in La Liga continued on Saturday as they were held to a 1–1 draw by relegation-threatened Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.

The result extended Barcelona’s winless streak in the league to four matches.

Notably, the Catalan club has now failed to secure a victory in their last four league visits to Getafe, with their last triumph dating back to September 2019.

Match Summary

Barcelona remains third in the La Liga standings with 39 points from 20 games, trailing second-placed Real Madrid by four points and leaders Atletico Madrid by five.

Jules Koundé opened the scoring for Barcelona in the ninth minute. A brilliant through ball from Pedri split Getafe’s defense, allowing Koundé to finish smartly.

Although Getafe goalkeeper David Soria blocked Koundé’s initial attempt, the French defender capitalized on the rebound to give the visitors an early lead.

Barcelona had chances to extend their advantage, most notably when Raphinha missed a close-range header from a Koundé cross.

However, Getafe equalized shortly after through Mauro Arambarri. Barça goalkeeper Iñaki Peña parried a powerful volley from Gastón Álvarez, but Arambarri converted the rebound with ease.

Barcelona’s struggles

Despite dominating possession, Barcelona struggled to break through Getafe’s disciplined five-man defensive line.

Forwards Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Raphinha delivered lackluster performances, adding to the team’s attacking woes.

In the second half, substitute Frenkie de Jong came closest to restoring Barcelona’s lead with a curling effort, but David Soria pulled off a spectacular one-handed save.

Raphinha squandered another opportunity late in the game, missing from close range.

A season of inconsistency

Saturday’s lackluster display added another disappointing chapter to Barcelona’s turbulent season under coach Xavi Hernandez.

The Catalans have struggled to find form since their last league win against Mallorca in early December.

“I’m very disappointed. This draw hurts,” Koundé told Movistar Plus after the match. “We controlled the game, but they scored from one of their few chances. We had opportunities but failed to take them.”

As Barcelona grapples with inconsistency, the pressure mounts to reignite their La Liga campaign and return to winning ways.