Olmo and Torres lead Barcelona to 3-0 win over Getafe in Spanish league
MADRID (AP) — Dani Olmo scored and set up one of Ferran Torres’ two goals with a neat backheel flick as Barcelona beat Getafe 3-0 in the Spanish league on Sunday.
It was the second straight game for Barcelona at its training facility as the newly renovated Camp Nou Stadium lacks the required permits.
Olmo’s clever flick inside the area led to Torres scoring for Barcelona in the 15th minute, and Raphinha’s assist to Torres in the 34th allowed the Catalan club to increase its first-half advantage.
Olmo then closed the scoring with a shot from near the penalty spot in the 62nd after a setup by substitute Marcus Rashford. A man carrying a Palestinian flag entered the field just before Olmo scored but did not affect the goal. The man was taken away by security.
“We had to focus on our own performance,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. “We controlled the match. It’s never easy to score three against Getafe.”
The victory moved defending champion Barcelona within two points of leader Real Madrid, which defeated Espanyol 2-0 on Saturday.
“It was important to come away with the three points,” Torres said.
The match was played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which typically hosts the Barcelona women’s team and men’s reserve and youth squads. The club had already played there in its home opener — a 6-0 rout of Valencia on Sept. 14.
Getafe, which had won three of its first four matches, dropped to eighth place.
Atletico’s woes
Atletico Madrid’s early-season struggles continued with a 1-1 draw at Mallorca, giving the club its worst league start under coach Diego Simeone after five matches.
Julián Alvarez missed a first-half penalty kick and Atletico conceded a late equalizer as it failed to win for the fourth time in five league matches.
Atletico’s only win so far was 2-0 against Villarreal last weekend. It has six points, its lowest points total after five matches since 2009-10 (three points), just before Simeone took over as coach.
“We are trying to build a new team,” Simeone said. “Several players arrived and we knew that something like this could happen. We knew we would have to go through this process.”
Atletico had also drawn 1-1 against both Elche and at Alaves after opening with a 2-1 loss at Espanyol. It was coming off a 3-2 loss at Liverpool in its Champions League opener on Wednesday.
Forward Alvarez had his 14th-minute penalty kick saved by Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Román, and striker Alexander Sorloth was sent off for a hard foul in the 72nd after video review.
Sorloth had replaced Alvarez about 10 minutes before being sent off. Alvarez did not hide his frustration at being substituted but Simeone later downplayed the player’s reaction.
Atletico, which has conceded eight goals in six matches across all competitions so far, went ahead with a shot from inside the area by Conor Gallagher in the 79th, but Vedat Muriqi equalized for the hosts with a header in the 85th.
Mallorca remains winless with only two points.
Earlier Sunday, Celta Vigo drew 1-1 at Rayo Vallecano, while Elche beat Oviedo 1-0 at home with a ninth-minute goal by André Silva in a match between promoted clubs.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer
