Barcelona held, Atletico reduce gap; Real on song

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Bengaluru, February 12: Leaders Barcelona failed to break down Getafe in a dull 0-0 league draw at Camp Nou, leaving the Catalans seven points clear at the top of the La Liga table.

Match Stats | Results | Points Table

Philippe Coutinho came close with a long range effort which was tipped wide by Vicente Guaita, with the Getafe goalkeeper also blocking a Yerry Mina header and a late effort from Luis Suarez.

Barca talisman Lionel Messi was below his best and off-target with various set-pieces, while Ousmane Dembele returned from injury but could not help from the Camp Nou bench. Messi is still the top scorer in La Liga.

After second-placed Atletico Madrid won at Malaga, Barca's draw means Diego Simeone's side have eaten into their lead by two points.

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was forced to play full back Lucas Digne in the centre of defence, alongside January signing Mina, making his full debut, due to injuries to Gerard Pique and Thomas Vermaelen, and Samuel Umtiti's suspension.

However the makeshift pairing was relatively solid, with Getafe creating few chances, the best of which saw Mina block Angel Rodriguez's shot after the forward broke through.

"It's good news for us that these two players did quite well in a difficult role," said Valverde.

"We would have liked to have taken the three points, (but) we're coming from a tiring month and logic says you can't win all the games.

"You can think that it's a slip-up, we have to keep moving forward, but this is not something that can't happen to you."

Barcelona failed to record a shot on target in the first half, something which has not happened since 2012, as they showed signs of tiredness after Thursday's King's Cup semi-final win at Valencia.

Suarez volleyed in just before halftime but was correctly ruled offside, with the Uruguayan ranting furiously at the assistant referee in frustration.

Towering defender Mina came close with two headers, one stopped by Guaita and another which flew inches past the post, as Barcelona failed to break down the visitors.

Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick as Real Madrid warmed up for their Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain with a big 5-2 victory over Real Sociedad.

Zinedine Zidane's men have not scaled their usual heights this season and this was still not perfect, but they do look to be finding some form just in time for a potentially season-defining tie with the French side on Wednesday.

They blew Real Sociedad apart in the first half at the Santiago Bernabeu, taking the lead inside a minute through Lucas Vazquez and finding themselves four goals ahead by the interval.

Toni Kroos got Real's other goal, as they made it three wins and a draw from their last four La Liga games, with 18 goals scored in that time.

(With Agency inputs).