Barcelona failed to promise their La Liga title defense after they were held to a goalless draw by Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso. The match turned tense when three red cards were shown by referee Cesar Soto Grado. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez was one of three people ordered to march. The Spaniard was shown a red card after complaining about a decision in the 71st minute.
In a post-match exchange, Xavi was asked to share about the confrontation on the pitch with the referee. The 43-year-old told DAZN, “I told him they made a lot of mistakes and we didn’t. [having them given], that’s why he sent me off. The other day we had a meeting with the referees and one of the first changes they would make in the rules would be that they would understand the coaches better because we are in a [state of] stress.”
‘It doesn’t matter to expel me, we tried every way [to win] against a very rocky opponent. We took one point that wasn’t enough, it’s a pity,” Xavi is quoted as saying.
Barcelona dominated the early game with winger Raphinha putting the home team’s defense under heavy pressure. Raphina almost scored in the 36th minute, but Getafe goalkeeper David Soria saved a close-range shot to keep the score intact. Six minutes later, Raphina was sent off for elbowing opposing defender Gaston Alvarez.
The hosts were left to play with only 10 men after midfielder Jaime Mata received a second yellow card in the 57th minute for a foul on Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo.
Despite having 75% of possession, Barcelona could not score even once. The match officials’ decision to extend the time also angered the Barcelona manager. “It’s a pity that he made up for 20 minutes. We’re making fools of ourselves, it’s ridiculous. Last year we started the same way and let’s see how we ended (as champions). I’m happy that we played well with 10 men… We had chances but we didn’t take them,” said Xavi.
Barcelona’s last La Liga win, at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, was in 2019. Since then, the Catalan giants have had three draws and one loss. In the next match, on August 20, the defending La Liga champions will face Cadiz.
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