Barcelona achieved a narrow yet fully deserved victory against Malaga at the Camp Nou in Week 2 of La Liga. Thomas Vermaelen scored the only goal for the Blaugrana, who enjoyed 73 percent of possession, created a whopping 22 goalscoring chances and attempted 19 shots, 13 of them on target and one to the post.
Man Of The Match
Without a doubt, this week’s award must go Thomas Vermaelen. After a season to forget while recovering from a never-ending string of injuries, the Belgian international started his second consecutive game for Barcelona.
Incredibly solid defensively, Vermaelen was a rock at the heart of Barca’s back-line. Despite being constantly challenged in the air, he always had the upper hand and solved any difficulties with admirable composure and increasingly impressive fitness.
Not happy with that, Gerard Pique’s replacement then went on to smash the ball into Kameni’s net in a moment which ended up securing the three points for Barcelona.
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Flop Of The Match
Despite the win, I have to say that Javier Mascherano’s performance was slightly disappointing at times. Sure, his defensive display was good overall, but he should have done better when facing Kameni early in the first half. Would be disappointed to have missed the chance to score his first ever Barcelona goal due to a frustratingly inaccurate header.
