Author: Amrit Santalani, Serg Atrakhov
Getafe – Barcelona – 0:0
French champions PSG started the new season with a goalless draw. Spanish champions Barcelona followed suit. The most prominent figure in the first half was Rafinha. It was the Brazilian who twice forced Soria into active action – repelling a free-kick and a field goal. But Rafinha “stood out” and, negatively, in five minutes he “earned” a sending off. In the 38th minute he collided with Carles Alena and in the 42nd minute he hit Gaston Alvarez in the temple with his elbow. Although the Brazilian had a yellow card, the referee showed him a straight red. This is the midfielder’s first suspension in 312 matches. Let’s look at two more points in the first half. Romeu, making his debut for Barcelona, shot just wide of the post in the 25th minute and, in the 30th minute, Ter Stegen saved Sánchez’s shot in the bottom corner.
At the start of the second half, the line-ups were the same again. In the 56th minute, Mata played rudely with thorns in Araujo’s leg – removal. In the 70th minute, Xavi received a red card for showing too much emotion. The coach didn’t like the fact that the referee didn’t award a penalty when Abde, a new arrival at Barça, got into a fight with a defender. In stoppage time, the visitors once again demanded a penalty. Araújo had clearly been kicked in the legs. But after studying the video replay, the referee considered that, at first, Gavi had touched the ball with his hand. In the final seconds, Gavi blocked Getafe’s shot and, after a corner kick, Lozano hit his header just wide of the post.
It was a game full of drama, as Getafe opted for a rather violent approach, which referee Cesar Soto Grado allowed to continue, which angered Xavi, who called the standard of refereeing “shameful”. Xavi, in his explosive post-match press conference, criticized La Liga, saying: “If this match is the product of La Liga, it’s an absolute disgrace. I understand why people don’t watch our soccer.”
Villarreal – Betis 1-2
The Brazilians brought Betis victory over Villarreal in the first round. In the 20th minute, Luis Enrique ran away from the defender. He then got away from his marker, beat him with a dribble and shot past Ayoze Perez – 0:1. The hosts recovered in the second half. First, Juan Foit hit the post from a corner and, in the 61st minute, Jorge Cuenca scored according to the rules – 1:1. The referee added six minutes to the second half. In the 95th minute, Willian José, who came on as a substitute after the break, was left alone in the center of the penalty area and, on the drop, closed down his teammate’s cross on the right flank with his head – 1:2.