Wow that Messi goal seems like a long time ago, and to add the fact that they were virtually assured a spot to play Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final. No one expected this historic turnaround- not here. Not now. Not them. It seemed like so Balboa-esque to see Getafe win, not just win but completely pound the Catalan giants into submission. This performance broke the team’s spirit
From the get go there was a hint of hope in the air which was compounded by the fact that Barcelona put a competitive side, but something happened to Barca- they thought they were ready to face Sevilla. Or maybe they were never into this tournament after all as their prime objective is to win the league title. Oh also the confidence of the home side increased exponentially and it can be summed up in two words- Albert Jorquera whose greatest quality as a goalkeepeer is his ability to snap his neck really quick.
The match was a patient, surgically precise dismantling of the 24-time Copa del Rey winners. If this were Ultimate Fighting, the match would have been considered one of those fought on the ground with the more explosive grappler being choked out by the tactically smart, that attacked them at the right moment and never stopped.
Getafe went at Barca in the beginning, but it took well over 37 minutes to cause any damage. Casquero’s rifle shot left Jorquera with his signature stone feet. In the 42nd minute, Güiza made the comeback a grand possibility, and later on in the match wrote the epitath for the culés as far as their season is concerned. All Barca could do was watch and take it.
Bernd Schuster also made himself once again the prime candidate to replace Fabio Capello should he not come back next. He showed Madrid president Ramon Calderón that he could be the man for the job by wiping out the eternal rival.
Barca came in to manage the score but the avalanche was such that they simply caved in and were broken. at first it was not such a bad idea to wait for the right moment to counterattack as they had the weapons to annihilate.
Now what? Tonight the blaugrana suffered their worst defeat in years, and have seen their season truly hit rock bottom after being ridiculed in the Madrid suburbs. Their three-peat looks dubious and with a Real Madrid side appearing closer and closer in their rear window, things do not look god both in and out of the field. Well for starters, Jorquera sealed his fate with this match even though some of the goals were not his fault. Eto’o will probably be gone as the club is willing to pay 15 million euros for Thierry Henry. Will Deco stay? Will Dinho stay? Will Rijkaard stay? The soap opera just reached its denouement.
