Jose Mourinho preserved his excellent record against Barcelona in style at the Camp Nou, with Real Madrid clinching a vital 2-1 win on Sunday and celebrating Kylian Mbappe’s late clincher with a knee slide.
The victory stretched Madrid’s unbeaten record in the fiercely competitive fixture to six games, which puts Mourinho in the unique position of being only the third Madrid boss to go six Clasico games without defeat.
Mbappe’s brace ended Barcelona’s nine-game unbeaten streak domestically and closed the gap to three points to leaders Madrid. Had they lost, Barcelona would have gone into eight points clear at the top of La Liga.
“Real Madrid does not play for winning at the Camp Nou; Real Madrid play for winning La Liga”, said Mourinho.
He also lauded his players for a job well done, stating they were worthy of the win.
“We could have won by luck, but we won with calmness and the right to the full,” he stated.
Mourinho also told his players to keep their feet on the ground after the win.
“We were a little short of breath and lacked freshness, as you can imagine, after three intense weeks,” Barcelona manager Hansi Flick confessed.
“We lost our freshness,” Flick said. “It’s difficult for us, the players. We have to regenerate well, train well and we have to get back from this defeat.”
The win reignited Madrid’s quest for the title, whilst Barcelona will have to bounce back to preserve their lead at the summit.
