Lacklustre Barcelona held to 1-1 tie by Getafe

Barcelona were held to a 1-1 tie at lowly Getafe on Saturday as Mauro Arambarri’s goal cancelled out Jules Kounde’s opener to extend the visitors’ winless streak in LaLiga to four matches.

Barcelona are third in the rankings on 39 points, four behind second-placed Real Madrid and five behind leaders Atletico.

Kounde put the visiting team ahead in the ninth minute, beating Getafe goalkeeper David Soria from close range after a fantastic pass from Pedri.

The French full-back made a smart diagonal run into the area to take Pedri’s pass in his stride but his first attempt was blocked by Soria.

The goalkeeper failed to hold onto the ball, however, and Kounde slotted the rebound into the back of the net.

Barca could have extended their advantage when Raphinha missed a close-range header from a Kounde cross and one minute later Getafe equalised, goalkeeper Inaki Pena saving a Coba da Costa volley but palming the ball straight to Arambarri who tapped in the rebound.

Barcelona dominated possession but struggled to break through a disciplined five-man Getafe defence with inspiring forward Lamine Yamal having a quiet evening along with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.

Barca’s best chance in the second half was through substitute Frankie De Jong, whose curling shot was denied by a stunning one-handed save from Soria and Raphinha missed a sitter from close range.

Kounde’s goal was Barca’s first at Getafe in over five years after they went four consecutive seasons without scoring in their league visits to the Coliseum in South Madrid, where their last victory was back in September 2019.

Saturday’s lacklustre performance was another chapter in Barca’s rollercoaster season, with Hansi Flick’s team struggling for stability.

They have not won a league match since beating Mallorca in early December and are on a four-game winless run.

“I am very annoyed. It’s a shame the draw,” Kounde told Movistar Plus.

“We had control of the match and on one occasion they scored a goal. It’s a shame… we have not got it right… We had opportunities but we didn’t convert them.”