Sports

Real Madrid can’t get ahead of Getafe, settles for scoreless draw

Getafe, Spain, Apr 18 (EFE).- Exhausted as a team and weakened by injuries, suspensions or Covid quarantines – and against a hard-driving rival – Real Madrid could not get anything going on Sunday against Getafe and wound up having to accept a scoreless draw, a result that knocked it back a notch in the fight for the La Liga title.

Up to six key players who were on the pitch at Anfield in Real Madrid’s successful effort against Liverpool were not available for the Getafe match.

The match was played to empty stands at the Alfonso Perez Colosseum in Madrid – Getafe’s home turf – due to coronavirus gathering restrictions.

Zinedine Zidane’s squad is now three points behind league leaders Atletico de Madrid, who crushed Eibar 5-0 earlier on Sunday, and are two points ahead of Barcelona, although the Catalan squad has a game in hand.

Nevertheless, goaltender Thibaut Courtois turned in a great performance for the capital squad. And so did Getafe’s David Soria, but it’s not a good sign when the match is decided virtually exclusively by the netminders’ efforts.

Mauro Arambarri had a good look but fired wide for Getafe 10 minutes into the match, followed by a header from Jaime Mata that hit the post.

Real pushed toward their rivals’ goal, with Mariano heading off the line, a shot cleared by David Timor, and Soria defending well against a try by Vinicius.

Courtois saved a really good chance from Mata about 15 minutes into the second half.

Angel Rodriguez got another good opportunity for Getafe but failed to target his shot properly and then on another try Courtois knocked the ball away from the danger zone with his fingertips.

Arambarri and Enes ünal both got close late in the match but neither one could find the twine, and Luka Modric had a chance to pull a Real Madrid victory from the jaws of the draw in stoppage time but flubbed it.

Lineups:

Getafe: Soria; Nyom, Djene, Timor, Olivera; Aleña (Damian, m. 76), Maksimovic, Arambarri, Cucurella; Enes ünal (Miranda, m. 91) and Jaime Mata (Angel, m. 65)

Real Madrid: Courtois; Odriozola, Militao, Víctor Chust, Marcelo; Modric, Isco, Marco Asensio (Arribas, m. 78); Rodrygo (Blanco, m. 64), Vinicius and Mariano (Benzema, m. 64).

Referee: Sanchez Martinez showed yellow cards to Real Madrid’s Vinicius (m. 54) and to Getafe’s Nyom (m. 58), Angel (m. 75) and Cucurella (m. 87).

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