The scene at the Santiago Bernabéu on Monday night felt like a funeral for Real Madrid’s title hopes, and although nothing was settled yet, Getafe won 1-0 to put Barcelona comfortably four points clear at the top of La Liga. Madrid are still alive despite a poor showing in the Champions League, but they have been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and a recent defeat against their mid-table neighbors felt like the final straw for many home fans.
The game featured a brilliant moment from Martin Satriano just before half-time. After Antonio Rudiger failed to clear a cross correctly, the Uruguayan forward, who signed on loan from Lyon in January, unleashed a vicious volley into the top corner. The goal sent the Madrid fans into a horrified silence before they started whistling to express their displeasure.
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After 17 attempts, José Bordalás finally figured out how to beat his neighbor in white. Getafe played a perfect, annoying and aggressive game – typical Getafe performance. They committed six fouls in the first seven minutes, essentially telling Alvaro Arbeloa’s side that there would be no easy passes.
Madrid, meanwhile, looked utterly bland. With Kylian Mbappe missing the game with a knee problem, the attack was basically just Vinicius Junior trying to beat five defenders on his own. Despite the good times, Brazilians are not calm.
Even the highly-rated Thiago Pitacci’s league debut in midfield couldn’t save them. Arbeloa decided to bring the kid on for Rodrigo in the second half, but the Bernabeu remained restless to see if the manager could turn the game around.
The worst thing for Madrid is the lack of discipline. Rudiger appeared to deliberately knee Diego Rico in the face as the defender fell to the grass and he was lucky to stay on the pitch. VAR somehow let it slip away, but Franco Mastantono’s luck had run out. The Argentine youngster, who has been buried on the bench recently, was sent off in stoppage time after a frantic, chaotic attempt to equalize. With seconds left in the game, Mastantuono was sent off for arguing with the referee. Seconds later, Adrian Lisso managed to be sent off and a Getafe player kicked the ball away, probably thinking he heard the final whistle.
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David Soria deserves huge praise for his performance in keeping the clean sheet, especially his fingertip save from Rodrygo’s seemingly destined header. Madrid had its moments of danger and had some good chances, but the team still felt more missing than ever from the leadership of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Coupled with the 4-1 victory over Villarreal, Barcelona’s performance is indeed good these days. A four-point lead is far from unassailable, but it’s an important step in their quest to reclaim La Liga.
