Barcelona began its defense of the La Liga title with a goalless draw against their host, Getafe, in a tense match that saw 12 yellow cards and one red card for each team, along with coach Xavi Hernandez being sent off today, Sunday. Barcelona dominated the match until their Brazilian winger Raphinha was sent off in the 42nd minute for elbowing Gastón Álvarez, giving the hosts a chance to breathe.
However, the teams were soon equalized when Getafe's forward Jaime Mata received a second yellow card in the 57th minute for a strong tackle on Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, opening up the game and providing both teams with several dangerous opportunities.
Robert Lewandowski, the league's top scorer last season, came closest to scoring for Barcelona with a close-range header that Álvarez cleared off the line in the 63rd minute. Coach Xavi was also sent off for protesting vehemently against the failure to call a foul in favor of Moroccan substitute Abdessamad Ezzalzouli in the 71st minute.
The controversy increased in stoppage time when referee César Soto Grado did not award a penalty to Barcelona despite calling a handball on Gavi during an attack after video review. After 116 minutes, the Catalan team failed to follow the lead of their rival Real Madrid, who opened the season with a convincing 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
