Thomas Vermaelen scored his first goal for Barcelonain a laboured 1-0 win at home to Málaga on Saturday that maintained a perfect start to their La Liga title defence.


With a fit-again Neymar restored to the attack alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez for the first time this season, Barcelona were looking to the South American trio to break down a stubborn Málaga at the Camp Nou.


However, it was Vermaelen who finally broke through following relentless pressure when he fired a loose ball into the net from a 73rd-minute corner.