Getafe vs Barcelona: 4 red cards and no goals in battle at the Coliseum

Getafe managed to frustrate Barcelona at home once more, as they held Xavi Hernandez's men to a 0-0 draw in their first match of the season. 

Barcelona started their title defence away at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez against Jose Bordalas's Getafe, and the game did live up to its billing of being a gruelling encounter for the Blaugrana. 

The visitors had some quality chances early on, but in no time, the match became a dogfight with little space for either team to exploit.  

The aggressiveness of the occasion seems to have frustrated Raphinha, as he was caught by the VAR striking his opposite number with his elbow. This earned the Brazilian a sending-off, reducing Barcelona to ten men. 

The game continued in its flow, almost unaffected by the numerical advantage, as Barcelona continued to have their tails up but failed to find cracks in Getafe's setup. 

The second-half was more of the same until Getafe got a sending-off on their own; Jaime Mata in the 57th minute received his second yellow for a foul on Ronald Araujo.

The sending-off was the fourth of the game, only the second to an outfield player; however, as the other two were shown to Getafe's team doctor, and Barcelona's manager Xavi.

The visitors made changes, and their incursions became sharper and more purposeful, however, they did not find enough in the end for maximum points.