Football
Adriana Garcia 6y

Barcelona shutout at Camp Nou was 'extraordinary work' - Getafe boss

Getafe coach Jose Bordalas heaped praise on his players after they prevented Barcelona from scoring in the league at the Camp Nou for the first time in 15 months.

The Madrid outfit held Barca to a goalless draw on Sunday. The La Liga leaders had six shots on target -- all in the second half -- and two of those were from Lionel Messi and saved by Getafe goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

Not since Malaga held Barca to a goalless draw on Nov. 19, 2016, had the Catalan giants failed to score in La Liga at home.

"Getafe is a modest club and Barca a great club with a fantastic roster," Bordalas told Onda Cero radio. "I congratulated my players. We played a huge game. We did extraordinary work defensively. To stop Barcelona from scoring has a lot of merit.

"Fortunately, we succeeded with our game plan. To prevent Barca from taking a shot on goal in the opening half is not something many teams can do. Barca is a big team whether playing at home or away, but we know the potential they have shown when playing at home in past seasons so our achievement is not easy."

Getafe had lost 2-1 at home to Barcelona on Sept. 16, giving away five shots on goal in that game.

"You can't give them any options," Bordalas said. "Against them, you cannot afford any mistakes. We learned that from our first game against them. They scored in two plays and won. Barca has such quality that if you lose your position for a second, they will punish you. That is what we learned and that is what we worked on during the week. I think my team interpreted that well.

"The aim is to play well and win. It's a mistake to think that a team that plays badly can get good results. I tell my players that we need to grow, that anything is possible because you set your own goals. We still have a long way to go to achieve Getafe's aim. This result against Barca should be a boost in confidence."

Getafe finished third in Spain's second tier last season and won a playoff to return to La Liga. They are 10th in the table and have drawn their last four league games.

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