Vermaelen's rocket finish helps Barcelona break down stubborn Malaga

For all its wizardry, all its firepower, Barcelona’s attackers couldn’t quite break down Malaga’s stifling resistance.

Until a defender did it for them.

Thomas Vermaelen’s 73rd-minute goal, his first in a Barcelona shirt, sealed a 1-0 win over Malaga on Saturday at the Nou Camp.

Lionel Messi came close to scoring on a number of occasions, firing shots from all angles that all met the same fate: Malaga goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. The Cameroonian international made 12 saves and stood strong for most of the evening, although he never really had to be spectacular.

Finally, Luis Suarez took possession on the left wing and sent a cross into the box. Kameni deflected it forward, but right to a waiting Vermaelen, who gave Barcelona the lead with a nice side-footed finish:

Vermaelen continued to fill in for the suspended Gerard Pique, who won’t return to game action for another three and a half weeks. Javier Mascherano gave a good account of himself as well, especially in the first half.

That said, they weren’t troubled a whole lot. Barcelona had three-quarters of the possession and bossed the game from the start, which was partially by design.

Malaga took four of six points from Barcelona last season, including a 1-0 win at the Nou Camp, by absorbing pressure and hitting on the counter. The same strategy nearly worked on Saturday, with Malaga sitting in its own half, swarming Messi whenever he touched the ball and disrupting Barcelona with physical play.

Even then, Barcelona’s skill gave it a look at several goals. The Catalans had a couple penalty shouts in the first half, including in the 39th minute when Neymar fooled Miguel Torres on a cutback in the box and Torres appeared to handle the ball. But the referee wasn't interested:

In his first game since being ruled out with mumps on Aug. 9, Neymar looked comfortable, if not quite sharp, in fitting back in to Barcelona’s attack. His absence could be part of the reason Barcelona has been slow out of the gate this season.

But the club still took a full six points from its first two league matches. It’s just that against a stout Malaga side, the decisive goal came from an unexpected source.