Barcelona 1-0 Malaga: Thomas Vermaelen smashes in late winner to end year from hell as Neymar makes his return from illness

• Barcelona claimed back-to-back 1-0 wins to start their La Liga campaign with Thomas Vermaelen scoring
• They struggled to find an opening before Belgian defender Vermaelen scored his first Barca goal in the 73rd minute
• The Belgian defender has spent almost a year out injured after signing from Arsenal last summer
• Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar all started together upfront but they could not find the breakthrough alone 
• It's not too late to sign up for MailOnline's new Fantasy Football game

By Rik Sharma For Mailonline

Published: 15:23 EST, 29 August 2015 | Updated: 03:33 EST, 30 August 2015

This game was all about the return of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, with the Brazilian back after being kept out by a mumps infection, but despite Barcelona's star trio being reunited they needed help from Thomas Vermaelen to see off Malaga.

The Catalans had to wait virtually an entire year to see him play, but this season has started with a bang for the Belgian. It was his strike that broke the deadlock as Barcelona struggled to find their way past Javi Gracia's heroic Malaga defence.

Having signed from Arsenal last summer, a string of injuries meant that the centre back had to wait until the final game of Barcelona's league campaign to make his debut. But thanks to Gerard Pique's absence through suspension, he has started both of their matches this term. 

Former Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen is congratulated by Jordi Alba after scoring the first goal of his injury-hit Barcelona career

Vermaelen's team-mates rushed to celebrate with him after the Belgian defender scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute

Not only has he already played more than he did last year, Vermaelen is playing well too. Rock solid at the back, with Barcelona keeping two clean sheets in two La Liga matches, and he was on hand to blast home when the ball broke loose to him in the box late in the second half.

Barcelona carried a grudge into this game, with Malaga the only team that they failed to beat - and score against - over two games last season. A 0-0 at La Rosaleda saw them drop their first points of the season, while they went down 1-0 at home.

Juanmi, now of Southampton, did the damage on that day, hitting Barcelona on the break to put a dent in their title bid, though it didn't turn out to be particularly damaging.

After an opening 15 minutes which had been filled with Barcelona chances, Malaga started to play some football, on the break. Javier Mascherano came across quickly to snaffle the ball away from Duje Cop.

Shortly afterwards Juankar lobbed Claudio Bravo from his own half, but the ball hit the roof of the net with the Chile goalkeeper stranded.

An over-hit pass by Nordin Amrabat ended another quick break, after a Barcelona move was stopped with what looked like a foul on Messi. The 'MSN' attacking trident had gone quiet, after an electric start. This is the first time they have appeared together since the Champions League final in Berlin, bar an hour of one pre-season friendly.

Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi show off the UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Best Player trophies before kick-off at the Nou Camp on Saturday

Messi frequently found himself crowded out by Malaga's organised backline as Barcelona struggled to find a way through the defence

Neymar vents his frustration towards the assistant referee as Barcelona found it hard to break the deadlock during the first half

Luis Suarez falls to the floor under the challenge of Malaga's Marcos Angeleri, with the former Liverpool man one of the brightest sparks

The Nou Camp season ticket holders were back for this game, with the Spanish Super Cup and Joan Gamper Trophy clashes here largely watched by tourists, and they wanted more of what they had last year from Messi, Neymar and Suarez, who notched 122 games in all competitions.

Neymar, who missed both the UEFA and Spanish Super Cups and the first game of the season, started off in the thick of the action. His ball was inches too far ahead of Messi in the first minute, while the Brazilian's low cross also evaded his Argentine team-mate.

Suarez found the net with a header from a corner after five minutes, but it was ruled out for a foul on Marcos Angeleri, while Mascherano's header from another set-piece struck the crossbar. It would have been his first goal in La Liga in 141 matches and counting – and it was the sixth time in five competitive matches this season that Barcelona have hit the woodwork.

What had been a frustrating half for the hosts - illustrated perfectly by Suarez thrashing the ball into the advertising hoardings in fury after a heavy touch took him out of play - grew worse in the minutes before half-time.

Suarez reacts by swinging on the crossbar after a chance goes begging as the 'MSN' trio failed to find the net on Saturday evening

Malaga goalkeeper Carlos Kameni dives to his right to make a save from Suarez's goalbound header as Sergio Busquets looks on

After 39 minutes Neymar cut in from the right and Miguel Torres slid in to deal with the danger. The defender handled the ball as he tried to block the forward off but referee Santiago Jaime Latre ignored Barcelona's protests.

Two minutes later and the supporters were on their feet, whistling the official, after he refused to whistle Suarez's appeal for a penalty when Angeleri stretched and upended him as he raced after the ball in the box.

The second half began with Barcelona on top, but Carlos Idriss Kameni was in fine form between the sticks for Malaga. After missing a penalty in the opening league win over Athletic Bilbao, Messi seemed determined to find the net here. He was denied by a hat-trick of Kameni saves in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

Messi darts away from Malaga's Argentine midfielder Fernando Tissone inside the visitors' penalty area but he once again did not score

Suarez fired in the cross from the left flank that led to Vermaelen opening the scoring for the home side with the game-deciding goal

Firstly the Cameroonian stopper reacted quickly to deny the No 10 after some good work by Neymar, then again following an Andres Iniesta dribble. The third save came soon after, with Kameni beating away a fierce drive at his near post.

And it was Messi who was left frustrated again when a pile-driver from 25 yards was again palmed to safety by the goalkeeper who frustrated Luis Enrique's side over 180 minutes last season.

But just when it looked like Gracia's team had some sort of curse over Barcelona, up popped Vermaelen in the 73rd minute. Kameni tried to divert a Suarez cross to safety but it fell at the feet of the defender, who didn't hesitate to rifle into the empty net.

In a show of togetherness, Vermaelen's team-mates rush to congratulate him after his first goal for Barcelona since moving last year

That was that, and a Malaga side that had gone all-out to prevent Barcelona from scoring had little left in the tank. Bar a late chance for Charles, with Jeremy Mathieu and Mascherano caught napping, Barcelona saw the rest of the match out.

Two league games and two 1-0 wins. The style of last season hasn't yet come to the fore, but with injuries and suspension affecting the likes of Dani Alves and Pique, they will take that. And if they repeat the trick in the next league game, away at Atletico Madrid, no Barcelona supporter will be complaining. 

For the second week running, Messi was unable to find the net after missing a penalty last week, but he still ended up on the winning side

The moon shines above the Nou Camp floodlights during Barcelona's second La Liga win of the season after they broke Malaga down

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