João Cancelo stars in Getafe v Barcelona, ex-Benfica man nears title | OneFootball

Barcelona are very close to being crowned Spanish champions. In the wake of Real Madrid’s draw against Real Betis (1-1), the Catalan side won 2-0 away to Getafe and increased their lead over their rivals to 11 points.

With João Cancelo - who is making life difficult for Benfica - in the starting line-up, Hansi Flick’s side were preparing for an important match in an even more challenging venue. The blaugrana club had not won at Getafe’s stadium for seven years, having claimed a 2-1 victory in the 2018/19 season.

Despite several dangerous attacks, Barcelona only managed to break down Bordalas’ defensive wall shortly before half-time. Pedri picked out Fermín Lopez with a perfectly weighted pass, and the attacking midfielder kept his cool.

The pattern continued in the second half, with the Catalan side constantly looking for the goal that would put the game beyond doubt. However, they still had a major scare in the 73rd minute - Gerard Martin’s crucial block denied Mauro Arambarri and brought a smile to Barcelona’s faces.

In the very next move, Lewandowski slipped Rashford through, and he burst into the box before sealing the win with a composed finish. Until the final whistle, the intensity dropped considerably, with both sides practically playing at training pace.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.