Lewandowski's goal past Getafe keeps Barca in La Liga driver's seat
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski (C) celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the La Liga match against Getafe at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 25, 2024. (AFP Photo)


A first-half goal from top scorer Robert Lewandowski secured a 1-0 La Liga victory for a depleted Barcelona against struggling Getafe on Wednesday, keeping their perfect record intact after seven matches.

With key players like Pedri resting and injuries sidelining Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, Fermin Lopez and Andreas Christensen, Barcelona took the lead in the 19th minute.

Lewandowski capitalized on a blunder by Getafe goalkeeper David Soria, who failed to catch a cross from Jules Kounde. Lurking in the box, Lewandowski seized the opportunity and netted his seventh goal of the season.

The hosts dominated the proceedings with almost 80% possession and 16 goal attempts but wasted numerous opportunities to win by a wider margin.

Soria made fine saves to deny efforts from Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski and three from Raphinha, who also missed a sitter in the 82nd minute, badly misfiring a header from a Kounde cross.

Barcelona almost paid a heavy price for their missed chances, as the visitors could have scored an equalizer in the dying moments.

Getafe fullback Juan Iglesias found Borja Mayoral unmarked inside the box during a quick counterattack, but the striker sliced his first-time effort in the 95th minute.

Barcelona are at the top of the standings with 21 points, four ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Getafe sit second from the bottom with four points.

"When you dominate a game but go only one goal ahead, the opponent sees a possibility of making a run for a better result, and often that leads them to push you harder in the last minutes," Kounde told Movistar Plus.

"But we played a good, controlled game and could have scored more goals. Sometimes it happens; you can't always win by a big goal difference. Getafe are always a difficult team to handle. It may have cost us more than usual, but we had chances to win the game more comfortably."

Barcelona will now visit seventh-placed Osasuna on Saturday before hosting Young Boys in the Champions League next week, looking to rebound following a 2-1 loss in their opening match at Monaco.