Mourinho’s plan comes together as Real Madrid relaunch with clásico statement | Sid Lowe
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou, giving José Mourinho a landmark clásico victory and restarting a title race that had threatened to become one-sided. Kylian Mbappé scored twice, including the late winner, while Mourinho celebrated with a knee slide; the result ended Barcelona’s run of nine consecutive wins and gave Madrid a major confidence boost.
Madrid had already lost twice this season, while Barcelona had been scoring an average of 4.3 goals per game. The win leaves the sides three points apart, rather than six or nine, and Mourinho said his team had won through organisation, concentration and courage in possession. Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois missed the match with flu, and substitute Andriy Lunin made important saves; Barcelona had more possession and shots, but were hurried and imprecise. The article’s final sentence is cut off, so further match detail is unavailable.
In short
- Real Madrid won the clásico 2-1 at Camp Nou.
- Mbappé scored twice, including a late winner.
- The result narrowed the title gap and revived Madrid’s season.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Madrid’s win can be seen as evidence that organisation, concentration and courage in possession can overcome a side’s attacking form and home advantage. By ending Barcelona’s winning run and narrowing the title gap, the result has renewed the contest and given Madrid confidence after an uneven start.
The case against
Barcelona’s greater possession and number of shots suggest they had opportunities to control the match, but hurried, imprecise play kept them from making that advantage count. One defeat, even a significant clásico loss, need not overturn the evidence of their strong scoring run or settle a title race that remains close.