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Barcelona's unbeaten start to the season ended after they went down 1-0 to Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday.
Jaime Mata scored a penalty in the 56th minute after Allan Nyom was brought down inside the area by Frenkie De Jong, handing the Azulones their first win over the Catalans since 2007.
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Meanwhile, this was another disappointing performance for Barcelona. They didn't create many chances and proved wasteful when two clear-cut opportunities showed up. Lionel Messi, who had a relatively quiet game by his standards, even hit the post.
The defeat means Ronald Koeman's men failed to capitalise on Real Madrid's own setback earlier in the day and drop to ninth place on the table with only seven points from the opening four games.
Here are the major talking points from the game:
#1 Barcelona's French duo disappoint again
Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele together cost Barcelona a whopping €325 million and yet, neither have truly justified their hefty price tags.
Griezmann offered little in the way of attack and also had the fewest touches of all Barcelona players. But that's not all; he missed a golden chance to put his side ahead in the first half by firing his shot over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat!
Dembele, on the other hand, lacked ball control. He was dispossessed on way too many occasions (16 to be precise, a game-high) and often looked clueless on the left flank.
Could this be due to the fact that this was his first start for the club in almost a year? Maybe. However, Dembele still needs to improve massively if he wants to prove his worth to the team.
#2 Getafe's high press throws Barcelona off track
Barcelona hadn't lost to Getafe in the league since 2007, so this was touted to be a walkover for the Catalans. However, the latter had other plans.
El Geta came flying out of the blocks, much to the surprise of the mighty visitors, and took the game to them with some high pressing.
Much of the threat stemmed from the right flank with Damian Suarez and Allan Nyom making forays to link up with Mata and Cucho Hernandez. Even though clear-cut chances were hard to carve out, Barcelona were clearly rattled by Getafe's pace and quick passes.
They conceded some cheap fouls while Neto had to make some important saves to keep the tie level. However, nerves got the better of them in the second half when Frenkie De Jong hacked Allan Nyom down inside the area after the defender tried to connect with Djene Dakonam's pass, conceding a penalty which Mata coolly dispatched.
#3 Mata's dead-ball speciality lifts Getafe
There are many famous penalty specialists from the current crop of players but one of the most underrated of the bunch is Jaime Mata, whose conversion rate from 12-yards is unbelievable.
Going into the match, the Spaniard had 24 penalties dispatched from 25 attempts in La Liga, so there was a sense of inevitability when he stepped up to take the spot-kick in this match.
Mata calmly rolled the ball into the far post down the left, sending Pedro Neto the wrong way. His specialty from the dead balls once again proved to be the key as it was enough to secure all three points for the Azulones.
#4 Nyom's roughhousing go unpunished by awful refereeing
The abysmal standards of match officiating in La Liga have long been a subject of debate, and it's sure to be sparked again following Saturday's terrible decisions by the referee, especially those concerning Nyom's roughhousing.
The Cameroonian was rash in his conduct and yet, conveniently escaped a sending off. Messi, De Jong, Busquets and most notably, Fati, all got the rough end of his stick while manager Koeman too wasn't spared.
Frankly, Nyom shouldn't have even lasted beyond the first half but in the strangest of circumstances, he completed the whole 90 minutes of the game, picking up just one yellow - for catching Busquets in the 72nd minute.
#5 Another long season in La Liga?
It's still early days but the Spanish top flight has offered plenty of surprises already. The standings currently have the likes of Getafe, Cadiz, Granada and Real Betis in top-five positions, with defending champions Real Madrid leading the pack.
However, they haven't been dominant. Saturday's stunning defeat to the Yellow Submarine was the second time in this season already when the Whites have dropped points. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have endured similar fates, despite playing a game fewer than Los Blancos.
Suffice to say, it hasn't been the most straightforward start to the new campaign for any of the 'big three'. Could this be a sign of another long season in La Liga? With games coming thick and fast, there's real scope for fatigue, even though the season is still in its infancy.
It'd be interesting to see how these sides cope with the congested fixture list as neither of them has truly shown any title intent so far.
