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Barcelona took a 2-1 lead against Getafe at the Camp Nou on Thursday in La Liga thanks to a hilarious own goal by center-back Sofian Chakla after 30 minutes.
Chakla tried to pass back to his goalkeeper David Soria under no pressure at all but only succeeded in casually slotting the ball into his own net to put Barca ahead for the second time in the match.
Soria frantically ran back to try and save the situation but could do nothing to prevent the ball crossing the line.
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Barcelona took the lead after just eight minutes when Lionel Messi latched onto a brilliant through-ball from Sergio Busquets and smashed a fine finish past Soria for his 22nd goal of 2021.
However, Getafe hit back just four minutes later with a fortuitous goal of their own. Nemanja Maksimovic’s cross was flicked on by Angel Rodriguez and then hit Clement Lenglet’s hand and beat a wrong-footed Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the Barca goal.
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Another Record For Messi
Messi went on to add a third goal for Barcelona before half-time to put the hosts in charge of the game. The goal was Messi’s 25th in La Liga this season and means he hits yet another landmark in his stunning career.
The goal came after Messi took possession from Pedri. The captain lashed a shot past Soria that hit the post and rebounded out, but the captain was quick to respond and slotted home from a tight angle.
Rather incredibly, Messi has scored more La Liga goals in the 2020-21 season than all of the Getafe players combined, according to Opta.
Roberto Returns For Barcelona
Coach Ronald Koeman made just one change to his Barca team for Thursday’s match, bringing in Sergi Roberto in place of Sergino Dest on the right of the defense. It was Roberto’s first start since February after returning from a thigh injury.
Koeman’s assistant coach Alfred Schreuder spoke to reporters before kick-off about the team selection for the game against Getafe.
“Sergi Roberto is in shape again and he is a very important player for us. We’ll see how many minutes he can play, with eight games ahead we need all the players,” he said. “Many players have been in this situation many times to fight for LaLiga. Now we have to focus on Getafe and win, the players are used to it. We are looking for continuity after the Cup final, in which the team was very good.”
Koeman made more changes at half-time sending on 18-year-old midfielder Ilaix Moriba for Lenglet who was booked early in the game, while center-back Ronald Araujo replaced Gerard Pique in central defense.
The changes in personnel meant that De Jong dropped back in central defense for the second half, as he has done many times already this season, and played alongside Araujo with Moriba further forward in midfield.
Barcelona kicked off needing a win after seeing leaders Atletico Madrid beat Huesca 2-0 in the earlier kick-off. The win means Diego Simeone’s side move three points clear at the top of the table in Spain with just seven games left to play.
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