Messi missed the penalty, but Barca still won 6-0.

The Catalan team just had a successful match, crushing Getafe in round 29 of La Liga, while coach Luis Enrique once again has reason to worry about his players' penalty-taking ability.

Goals: Rodriguez 8' own goal, El Haddadi 19', Neymar 32', 51', Messi 40', Turan 57'

Lionel Messi missed the penalty in the 11th minute. This was Barca's eighth missed penalty of the 2015-2016 season, a large part of which was due to Messi.

As if to atone for his earlier mistake, the world's best player then delivered an outstanding performance with three assists and a goal. With this crucial support, Neymar scored a brace, while El Haddadi and Turan each scored a goal. Barca thus secured a victory against Getafe that resembled a tennis set.

With three crucial points, the Catalan team further consolidated their leading position and moved closer to winning the La Liga title. Luis Enrique's side are 11 points ahead of Atletico and 15 points ahead of Real, while their two closest rivals played later in round 29.

Barca have missed eight penalties this season. Photo: Reuters

To prepare for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Arsenal, coach Enrique started Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, and Dani Alves on the bench. This was a correct decision because with the remaining squad, Barca still had more than enough strength to win convincingly against their opponent, who were fifth from the bottom of the table. Getafe's defense proved too weak to stop the combinations between Messi and his teammates. Before the 60th minute, goalkeeper Vicente Guaita had already had to pick the ball out of his net six times.

In Barca's almost perfect performance, Messi's missed penalty might have been the only blemish. Goalkeeper Guaita dived to the left to push away the powerful low shot from M10. This was Barca's 15th penalty of the season, and eight of those missed were thanks to the Messi, Suarez, and Neymar trio.

The missed penalty kick may have spurred Messi on. Shortly afterwards, the world's best player consistently impressed viewers with his accuracy in passing and finishing. A prime example came in the 19th minute, when Messi delivered a perfectly placed cross, allowing El Haddadi to simply head the ball into the Getafe net, making it 2-0. About 13 minutes later, M10 shone again, threading a pass to Neymar, who comfortably beat Guaita in a one-on-one situation to extend the lead to 3-0.

Upon closer examination, the opening goal could also be considered a significant contribution from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. The situation unfolded in the eighth minute, when Messi played a perfectly placed through ball to Jordi Alba, who then crossed the ball across the penalty area. In the subsequent play, Juan Rodriguez clumsily kicked the ball into his own net, giving Barca an early lead.

As the game progressed, Messi's accuracy improved, and he finally scored a goal of his own. In the 40th minute, M10 curled a shot from outside the penalty area, leaving Guaita with only his fingertips, unable to prevent the fourth goal.

Messi is no longer a threat from the penalty spot.

While Barca consistently dominated the game and scored goals, Getafe only managed a few weak attempts in response towards goalkeeper Bravo's goal. These attempts were often easily neutralized by the home team's defense, or ended with shots missing the target.

Barca's victory was so convincing that coach Enrique didn't even have time to make substitutions before two more goals sealed the 6-0 win. Messi completed his "hat-trick of assists" with a perfectly placed pass to Neymar, making it 5-0 in the 51st minute, before Turan scored with a volley inside the penalty area to close out the tennis-style victory. This was Turan's second goal for Barca since starting in February.

Besides their impressive goal tally, Barca also impressed fans in the match against Getafe with a makeshift lineup. In addition to Suarez, Rakitic, and Alves, three stars who sat on the bench for the entire game, the Catalan team was also without Javier Mascherano (suspended) and Sergio Busquets. This almost meant that with just the core group of goalkeeper Bravo, center-back Pique, full-back Alba, midfielder Iniesta, and the attacking duo of Neymar and Messi, Barca were more than capable of a resounding victory against weaker opponents like Getafe.

Messi's pass was so accurate that even though El Haddadi was tightly marked, he still managed to head the ball into the net.

The victory against Getafe was also good preparation for Barca ahead of the important series of matches. In the next two weeks, coach Enrique's team will face Arsenal, Villarreal, and Real Madrid in succession.

According to VNE