Jose Mourinho Reveals How He Masterminded Real Madrid's 2-1 Win Over Barcelona

Real Madrid beat Barcelona for the first time in six matches, securing a thrilling 2-1 victory at Camp Nou on Sunday. While Kylian Mbappe scored a brace, including an 87th-minute winner, it was manager Jose Mourinho who drew widespread plaudits for his tactical setup. Mourinho, who had entered the clash under pressure following a patchy run of results in La Liga since the start of the 2026-27 campaign, rolled back the years with a vintage display of charisma and authority in the post-match media room.

It was Real Madrid's 80th-minute substitute, Eduardo Camavinga, who set up Mbappé's decisive goal after producing a surging run straight through the heart of midfield. In the post-match press conference, Mourinho revealed that he had specifically instructed the French international to exploit space from deep to catch Barcelona's high defensive line off guard.

"I told Camavinga, go and attack the space," Mourinho explained. "It is difficult for any attacker to attack space against Barcelona; the only solution is to do it with your midfielders.

"When your attackers do it, Barca's defense is prepared and coached for that, and your forwards either end up caught offside or the pass gets intercepted by Joan Garcia. The solution is to use midfielders like Camavinga and Bellingham to break that line, and it worked."

Despite the defeat, Barcelona remain three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table after 10 matches. However, the triumph in Catalonia is bound to provide Los Blancos with a massive confidence boost. Addressing suggestions that his side had come merely to conquer Camp Nou, Mourinho insisted their sights remain firmly locked on the league title.

"In my view, Real Madrid do not play just to win at Camp Nou. Real Madrid play to win La Liga," he stated. "This must be the mentality. We need to continue like this and not get carried away after this win."

Mourinho also hailed the grit of Federico Valverde, revealing that the Uruguayan midfielder played through injury for well over half the contest.

"Let me speak about Fede Valverde. He continued playing despite being injured for over 40 minutes," Mourinho said. "He refused to come off, fought through the pain, and gave everything he had for the team."

The Portuguese tactician reserved special praise for goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, whose crucial saves kept Real Madrid in contention during periods of heavy Barcelona pressure.

"Lunin was unbelievable, yet no one asked me about him... I'm sure you would have if we had lost," Mourinho quipped, reminding reporters of the Ukrainian shot-stopper's heroics.

Mourinho did not hold back on officiating either, taking aim at the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) over a contentious challenge around the hour mark. He argued that Barcelona right-back Joao Cancelo should have received his marching orders for a foul on Yan Diomande.

"The ref was great, but the VAR was sleeping in the 60th minute. There was a clear red card for Cancelo's foul on Diomande," he stressed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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