A first-half goal by Robert Lewandowski gave a depleted Barcelona a hard-fought 1-0 victory over struggling Getafe in LaLiga on Wednesday, preserving the Catalan side’s perfect record after seven matches. Despite several key absentees, Barca dominated the match but struggled to convert their dominance into a larger scoreline.
Barcelona was without several key players, including Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, and Ronald Araujo, among others. Yet, it took the lead in the 19th minute after a mistake by Getafe goalkeeper David Soria.
Jules Kounde sent a cross into the box that Soria failed to handle, and Lewandowski capitalized on the error, scoring from close range to notch his seventh goal of the season.
Barcelona controlled the game from the outset, boasting nearly 80% possession and registering 16 shots on goal. However, the host team was wasteful in front of the net, missing several clear chances to extend its lead. Raphinha, in particular, was guilty of spurning three excellent opportunities, including a glaring miss in the 82nd minute when he misfired a header from another Kounde cross.
Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski also saw attempts denied by Soria, who managed to keep the scoreline respectable despite his early error. Yet, as Barcelona failed to put the game to bed, Getafe sensed an opportunity to snatch a point late in the match.
The visitors nearly punished Barcelona in the dying moments. In the 95th minute, a swift counterattack saw Juan Iglesias deliver a pinpoint pass to Borja Mayoral, who found himself unmarked in the box. However, Mayoral’s first-time effort went wide, allowing Barcelona to escape with the win.
Reflecting on the narrow victory, Jules Kounde told Movistar Plus, “When you dominate a game but go only one goal ahead, the opponent sees a possibility of making a run for a better result… Sometimes it happens, you can’t always win with a big goal difference.”
With this result, Barcelona remains top of the LaLiga standings with 21 points, four points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Getafe is second from the bottom with just four points from seven matches.
Next, Barcelona faces a challenging week, traveling to seventh-placed Osasuna on Saturday before hosting Young Boys in a crucial Champions League clash, where they will look to recover from their opening defeat against Monaco.
