José Mourinho refused to celebrate after Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou, but the Portuguese coach shifted the spotlight straight to the title race.
Kylian Mbappé struck an 87th-minute winner to seal the victory, and Mourinho responded with a small knee slide and a fist pump by the dugout. Then he put the emotion away.
He told reporters that Real Madrid do not play to win at the Camp Nou. They play to win La Liga, and he demanded that mentality from his squad.
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He urged his players to stay level-headed. “Don’t go over the moon” became his message, and he repeated it twice.
The coach insisted his side earned the win through calmness, not luck. He praised the group’s work rate and said everyone stood ready to win.
He also handed the credit to his players, then pointed out the harsh flip side of the job: when teams lose, the blame lands on the coach, which explains why managers lose their jobs every week.
He also explained his midfield thinking. Mixing players with different strengths gives Real balance in defence and quality in attack, and he prefers that blend to pairing two similar players.
He added that Real have crushed several opponents by four goals or more, but he still praised his players for rising to the occasion against Barcelona.
The game itself rewarded patience. Mbappé opened the scoring four minutes before the break, though luck helped him. Defender Gerard Martin tried to clear Yan Diomande’s low cross, and the ball flew in off the France striker.
Barcelona hit back after the interval. Captain Raphinha collected Pedri’s pass and fired through Jude Bellingham’s legs into the far corner.
Martin then nearly made amends with a header, but goalkeeper Andriy Lunin clawed it away one-handed. Lunin stood in for the ill Thibaut Courtois, and he made three first-half saves from Anthony Gordon too.
Then Bellingham sparked the decisive move with a brilliant piece of skill on halfway. Substitute Eduardo Camavinga surged forward and squared the ball, and Mbappé tapped into an empty net.
The result ended Barcelona’s chase for a record. Hansi Flick’s side wanted a tenth straight league win to top the nine set by Real’s 1968-69 team, and Real stopped them. Real also won without the suspended Vinícius Júnior.
Mbappé now has 11 league goals this season and eight in seven Clásico appearances. Mourinho, who returned to Real this summer, 13 years after his first spell, now owns six Clásico wins and six defeats.
