Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid
José Mourinho secured the most significant result of his second spell at Real Madrid after overcoming bitter rivals Barcelona in El Clásico at Camp Nou on Sunday evening.
A brace from French superstar Kylian Mbappe gave the visitors a precious victory which cuts the gap to leaders Barcelona to just three points in La Liga. The occasion was particularly satisfying for Mourinho given the collective nature of Real’s triumph and the decisive impact of his second half substitute Eduardo Camavinga.
Mourinho’s men were the more dangerous side in the first half and got their reward when Mbappe opened the scoring from close-range five minutes before the interval. Barca improved enough in the second half to level through Raphinha on the hour, but Mourinho’s decision to replace influential Portugal international Bernardo Silva with Eduardo Camavinga for the final ten minutes proved a masterstroke.
With just three minutes left on the clock and the hosts pushing for a winner, Jude Bellingham’s wonderful footwork in the middle of the pitch led to an attack which saw Camavinga sprint from midfield to reach a throughball and pick out Mbappe, who converted to ensure a potentially priceless three points and end Barca’s 100% record in the league.
“For me, it’s a great victory for the lads against a great opponent,” Mourinho said after the match. “At the start of the second half, we had a two-on-one situation with Jude and Kylian . Obviously, Barcelona reacted strongly in the second half, but we remained calm and organized. Even at 1-1, we never lost our composure.
“With a referee who I think had a very good game, and a VAR that was asleep in the 60th minute with a decision that surely could have had a major influence on the match, which was a clear red card for Joao (Cancelo) on Diomande. Great game, great victory, and the lads deserve it.
“This was a game where we could have gone down by three, six, or nine points. Obviously, going down by nine is tough psychologically. Going down by six would have been more balanced. Going down by three is different, and the way we won is also important because you can win with luck and by playing great defence. We won comfortably and deservedly.”
Mourinho was asked about the selection and influence of Bernardo Silva, who followed up his first goal for the club in midweek against RB Leipzig by playing 80 minutes against Barcelona. The former Porto and Benfica boss was also quizzed about the impact of Camavinga and what it means to have such wide-ranging options in his ranks.
“Regarding Bernardo’s situation, I’ve said that he’s been here for a little over three months. Obviously, I know him very well, but knowing someone very well is one thing, and seeing how he can integrate into the team dynamic is another. The group is very strong. I’ll never tell you, ‘This is my starting eleven,’ or ‘This player is now an undisputed starter.’
“I’ll never say that because the truth is, the squad is very good, complete, and everyone works very hard. Everyone is ready to play. That’s life.
“Eduardo (Camavinga), like everyone else, is a starter. Everyone trains to play. Then it’s up to the coach to decide. There are coaches who, when they want to make changes, look to the bench and have no solutions. There are many coaches who suffer because they aren’t able to implement their ideas on the field. I have a deep bench, with players who can be starters.
“Camavinga had an extraordinary game against Leipzig and today he was on the bench. At that moment, the game needed players with the stamina to keep up and maintain their marking, but also to launch counter-attacks.
“Against Barcelona, it’s often difficult for the attacker to exploit the spaces, because when the attacker does, he’s often offside, and other times the goalkeeper is in a position to cover that space. If the incisive movement comes from deeper positions, like Camavinga did for the goal and like Bellingham did in that two-on-one situation, it’s more difficult for him. Things worked out well. He had a great game, and it’s a victory for the team that deserved it more.”
Unity is strong – Mourinho
Mourinho is clearly happy with the improving nature of Madrid’s performances, as well as the togetherness in his squad, which was demonstrated by the cohesive and selflessness of the team showing at Camp Nou, with many observers noting that the victory was secured by the collective rather than individual brilliance.
“It’s the toughest match, against the highest quality opponent,” Mourinho said. “An opponent who had only won in the league. For us, it’s our best victory. We’ve beaten this team and that team by four goals, but this is Barcelona, and the players put on a great performance.
“The truth is that we’ve improved a lot in the last few matches, there’s no denying it. But the two defeats we’ve had— it’s not that we played terribly or that the team wasn’t a team or that the group wasn’t a group.
“The team ’s unity is strong. Internally, there are zero problems, and the empathy among everyone is growing. People on the sidelines always support the players. It’s a truly wonderful group. Wonderful groups are those that stick together in difficult times. When we lost to Atlético, the next day everyone forgot how we lost; the only thing that mattered was that we lost.
“The team is united, calm, working hard, and preparing. As I always say, let’s go for the next one. This is a great victory, but when we get back to work, I’m not going to let people get carried away.
“If we win today and lose next week at El Sardinero [against Racing Santander] today’s victory won’t have the same meaning, because Real Madrid doesn’t play to win at the Camp Nou. Real Madrid plays to win championships. We have to keep going.”
