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Barcelona held 0-0 at Getafe, trails Madrid by 4
Barcelona slipped further behind Real Madrid in the Spanish league title race after being held to 0-0 at Getafe on Saturday
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Barcelona slipped further behind Real Madrid in the Spanish league title race after being held to 0-0 at Getafe on Saturday.
The draw ended Barcelona's run of eight straight wins overall, and it fell four points behind Madrid at the top of the table.
"It's a step backward," Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said.
Barcelona missed the goals and attacking verve of striker Neymar, who was left out with a sore left ankle.
The closest Barcelona came to scoring was Lionel Messi's free kick that hit the crossbar in the second half. Strike partner Luis Suarez remained without a goal in the league since returning from a four-month biting ban. He has scored twice in the Champions League.
"It's always difficult to score when the rival packs his defense in his area," Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said. "I would prefer to be higher up the standings, but there is a lot of league left."
Valencia had no such trouble scoring at home in a 3-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, striking three times in the first half at Mestalla Stadium to put the result beyond doubt before the break.
Forward Sofiane Feghouli scored in the 13th and 34th minutes, and Pablo Piatti in the 36th.
Valencia played the final 20 minutes with 10 men after Andre Gomes was sent off.
Valencia remained in fifth place but closed to within one point of fourth-place Sevilla. It also ended a four-game winless run.
"Our bad stretch is over," Valencia coach Nuno Espirito Santo said.
Malaga remained pegged one point behind Valencia in sixth place with a 1-0 victory at home over Celta Vigo. Samuel Garcia headed in what proved to be the winner in the 21st.
Celta's winless streak in the league since its last victory at Barcelona reached five rounds.
Also, Cordoba and Levante continued hovering above the relegation zone after a 0-0 draw.
On Friday, Madrid won 4-1 at Almeria with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice in their 20th straight win in all competitions.
On Sunday, it's: Espanyol vs. Granada; Sevilla vs. Eibar; Atletico Madrid vs. Villarreal; and Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Bilbao.
Deportivo La Coruna hosts Elche to close round 15 on Monday. (**)
