Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez among Barcelona goals in workmanlike Getafe win

Andy West 02:07 07/01/2019
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  • Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were the predictable goalscoring heroes as Barcelona squeezed past hard-fighting Getafe with a 2-1 victory at the Alfonso Perez Coliseum on Sunday night.

    It was far from easy for the reigning champions and not everybody covered themselves in glory, but the job got done…just about. Here is how all the players rated.

    GETAFE

    Soria 8. Made a series of good stops, denying Messi, Suarez and Pique to keep his team in it. Unlucky with the opener.

    D Suarez 6. Had his hands full with Dembele and Alba but stuck to the task. Unlucky to inadvertently ‘assist’ Messi’s opener.

    Djene 7. Held his team together with a strong performance full of tenacity and anticipation. So hard to shrug off.

    Cabrera 5. Blocked a Suarez shot well and came close with a header, but was weak defensively and booked for an awful lunge.

    Antunes 8. Came forward to good effect, playing some good crosses from the left, and was solid at the back. Excellent showing.

    Foulquier 6. Gave Alba trouble down the right but he had problems defensively and was replaced in the second half.

    Maksimovic 5. Remarkably only had 18 touches in the whole game as Barca controlled the middle and Getafe focused on wide areas.

    Arambarri 5. Tried to link midfield with attack but spent a lot of time chasing Arthur, and had little impact going forward.

    Portillo 5. Started on the left wing before moving to the right but exerted little influence in either position, failing to impress.

    Mata 6. Pulled a goal back after earlier having one controversially disallowed but missed a sitter to level the score.

    Angel 6. Blasted two reasonable chances over the top and dragged another effort wide, but set up Mata’s goal.

    SUBS

    Molina 6. Introduced around the hour mark and was a handful with his physical presence but had no real chances.

    Saiz 5. Entered the action for the final 20 minutes and threatened to cut inside from the left but was well contained.

    Ibanez 5. Came on for the latter stages but with almost no effect, barely touching the ball.

    Pique was one of Barca's star men.

    Pique was one of Barca’s star men.

    BARCELONA

    Ter Stegen 7. Made a flying second half save to preserve his team’s lead and gathered a few dangerous crosses well.

    Roberto 5. Back in action after injury and looked below the pace, with much of Getafe’s threat originating down his flank.

    Pique 7. The lynchpin of his team’s defence, reading the game well to snuff out danger. Nearly scored with a first half snapshot.

    Lenglet 5. Not his finest game. Looked vulnerable in the air and was sometimes too uncertain and tentative in the challenge.

    Alba 6. A game of two halves in positional terms. Struggled defensively, especially against crosses, but a threat going forward

    Vidal 6. An aggressive and energetic performance in the centre of midfield, but lacked precision and was replaced.

    Rakitic 6. Operated deeper than usual and was initially very smooth but lost control after the break and changed position.

    Arthur 7. Controlled the first half tempo with an excellent range of passing. Struggled early in the second half but finished strong.

    Messi 7. Pounced on a half chance to open the scoring and produced several superb moments, but missed a decent chance at 2-1.

    Suarez 7. Made it 2-0 with a stunning volley from outside the area. Worked hard without gaining any more reward.

    Dembele 6. An electric early burst preluded a bright display, regularly threatening to breaking through but never quite doing it.

    SUBS

    Busquets 6. Introduced for the final 20 minutes to regain control. Slow to find the pace of the game but then settled.

    Coutinho 5. A late replacement for Dembele, but made little impact and didn’t offer the same penetration.

    Alena 6. Came on for Arthur with just three minutes to play and helped shore things up in the centre of the field.

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