Lacklustre Barcelona held to 1-1 draw by Getafe
MADRID :Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw at lowly Getafe on Saturday as Mauro Arambarri's strike cancelled out Jules Kounde's opener to extend the visitors' winless run in LaLiga to four matches.
Barcelona are third in the standings on 39 points, four behind second-placed Real Madrid and five adrift of leaders Atletico.
Kounde put the visiting side ahead in the ninth minute, beating Getafe goalkeeper David Soria from close range after a great pass from Pedri.
The French full back made a clever diagonal run into the box to take Pedri's pass in his stride but his first effort was denied by Soria.
The goalkeeper failed to hold on to the ball, however, and Kounde stroked the rebound into the back of the net.
Barca could have extended their lead when Raphinha missed a close-range header from a Kounde cross and one minute later Getafe equalised, goalkeeper Inaki Pena saving a Coba da Costa volley but palming the ball straight to Arambarri who tapped home the rebound.
Barcelona dominated possession but struggled to breach a disciplined five-man Getafe defence with inspirational forward Lamine Yamal enduring an quiet evening along with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
Barca's best opportunity in the second half was through substitute Frankie De Jong, whose curling strike was denied by a stunning one-handed save from Soria and Raphinha missed a sitter from close range.
Kounde's goal was Barca's first at Getafe in over five years after they went four consecutive seasons without scoring in their league visits to the Coliseum in South Madrid, where their last win was back in September 2019.
Saturday's lacklustre performance was another chapter in Barca's rollercoaster season, with Hansi Flick's side struggling for consistency.
They have not won a league game since beating Mallorca in early December and are on a four-game winless streak.
"I am very frustrated. It's a pity the draw," Kounde told Movistar Plus.
"We had control of the game and on one occasion they scored a goal. It's a pity... we have not got it right... We had opportunities but we didn't take them."
