Sunday, January 02, 2022
Decimated Barca narrowly win
Relegation candidate waddles Los Blancos
Real Madrid’s winning streak broke in the first game of the year. Despite the loss to relegation candidate Getafe, coach Ancelotti’s team remains at the top of the table. Meanwhile, FC Barcelona, weakened by Corona, is struggling to win a job against Mallorca.
Relegation candidate FC Getafe surprisingly ended Real Madrid’s long streak of success in the Primera Division. In the first game of the year, Spain’s soccer record champions conceded a defeat in the league for the first time in three months with the 0: 1 (0: 1) in the derby at the small suburban club. The team of coach Carlo Ancelotti remains ahead of the table with 46 points ahead of Sevilla FC (38), who like the other pursuers, however, have played two games less.
The Turkish international Enes Ünal scored for the home-strong Madrid suburban club in the 9th minute to win. For the favorite, who started with Toni Kroos and missed numerous scoring chances until the end, it was only the second defeat in the 20th game of the season. Real had been undefeated since the 2-1 draw against Espanyol Barcelona on October 3, 2021. The league leaders had reported four corona-infected professionals after Christmas, but two of them were back in the squad against Getafe: goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and midfielder Fede Valverde.
Other clubs are hit harder. After the Christmas vacation, a total of more than one hundred Primera División players tested positive. FC Barcelona were missing 18 players due to corona infections, injuries or suspensions. The Catalans won 1-0 (1-0) at Real Mallorca with a goal from Luuk de Jong (44th). National goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen secured victory with a strong save in stoppage time. Barca are now 15 points behind Real in fifth.
Barcelona coach Xavi had previously urged the game to be postponed. “If the game isn’t postponed, it’s ridiculous,” Xavi said. You are in a “borderline situation”. If the meeting is not postponed, then it is “distortion of competition”. Ten professionals were infected with the corona virus. Of those, only Samuel Umtiti was in the squad. Barca also complained about six injured and two suspended players.