Real's Unbeaten Run Ended, Barca Bounce Back!
03 January, 2022
Real Mallorca 0-1 FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona moved to within one point of the top four in LaLiga after starting the new year with a 1-0 win away to Real Mallorca on Sunday night.
The Catalan giants have been hit by Covid-19 and injuries in recent weeks, while new signing Ferran Torres is yet to be registered for the campaign.
Luuk de Jong and 17-year-old Ilias Chakkour were handed starts in the Catalans line-up after Abdessamad Ezzalzouli and Ousmane Dembele tested positive for Covid while Nicolas Gonzalez and Ruqui Puig replaced the suspended Sergio Busquets and Gavi.
The game off to a slow start, as Xavi Hernandez's men had to wait until the 29th minute for a decent opportunity as Luuk de Jong struck the upright before Oscar Mingueza's acrobatic effort crashed against the crossbar moments after.
The visitors got their reward a minute before the break as Mingueza turned provider to pick out De Jong, who rose above his marker to head into an empty net for his first league goal of the campaign.
Mallorca came out for the second half with a bit more purpose as they went in search of an equaliser, although they were yet to trouble Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The hosts made a double switch after the hour mark as Fer Nino and Ruiz de Galarreta replaced Angel Iddrisu Baba, while Barcelona introduced Alvaro Sanz for Nico Gonzalez a few minutes later.
Mallorca threw everything forward in the latter stages and Ter Stegen ensured his side walked away with the points after making a stunning save in second-half stoppage time to deny Jaume Costa at the far post.
Getafe 1-0 Real Madrid
Real Madrid's 11-game unbeaten run in LaLiga came to an end after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Getafe on Sunday afternoon.
David Alaba was back in defence while Luka Modric and Casemiro were also recalled for the first game of the year, although Vinicius Junior and Eden Hazard missed out due to Covid-19.
However, it was the home side who broke the deadlock with their first goal against Real since 2018 as Enes Unal took the ball off Eder Militao before firing past Thibaut Courtois inside five minutes.
Carlo Ancelotti's men looked to get themselves back on level terms straight away, but David Soria produced a fine save to keep out Modric from distance in the 15th minute.
Los Blancos dominated possession for the remainder of the first half, but they found it tough to break down the Getafe defence as Karim Benzema, Rodrygo and Asensio struggled to combine.
Ancelotti responded with a double change at the start of the second half, with Eden Hazard and Marcelo replacing Asensio and Ferland Mendy.
Clear-cut chances were still hard to come by for Real in the early parts of stanza as the home side were quite happy to sit back and soak up the pressure.
Real had to wait until the 76th minute for a serious effort at goal as Casemiro's powerful volley from 18-yards out forced Soria into a superb acrobatic save.
However, Getafe were able to see off the late push to claim their first win over Real in 16 games.
Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za
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