Barcelona 5 Real Madrid 0: Hell Clasico for Mourinho as he runs into one of the greatest team displays of all time
Cristiano Ronaldo barged into Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, but it was Barca who pushed Jose Mourinho off his perch at the Nou Camp on Monday night, dealing him his most humiliating defeat as a coach.
Ronaldo and Leo Messi were both booked in an ill-tempered El Clasico that saw 12 yellows and one straight red card as Mourinho’s Real Madrid side were routed 5-0 – his first defeat in charge.
At least the former Chelsea manager conceded his side had been outclassed by a Barcelona team that played football from a different planet.
He said: ‘It is the worst result of my career but it is not difficult to explain because we had no chance of winning. There were no shots of ours against the post and there were no bad refereeing decision that went against us. We played badly and they played very well. It was a deserved defeat.’
The Special One was taunted by Barcelona fans who chanted for him to emerge from the dugout as he stayed out of his technical area.
Asked about the second-half no-show he said: ‘There was no tension in the second half. There is no feeling in that situation that you can change anything. When they scored the third goal it was game over.’
The Spanish league has been labelled a two-horse race this season and Mourinho denied this drubbing now reduces the field to one.
He added: ‘The difference is not 5-0, it is two points. I wish we did not have to play on Saturday, I wish we were playing tomorrow because these players need to get this result out of their system. I expected more of my players and they expected more of themselves.’
Barcelona were rampant from the first kick. They almost took the lead after six minutes when Messi hit the post with a curling shot. Moments later he was the architect of the opener as his pass released Iniesta, whose fizzing through ball put Xavi in to score.
Xavi was involved again as Barca doubled their lead after 17 minutes. David Villa raced away down the left and when Casillas spilled his cross, Pedro got ahead of Marcelo to convert from close range.
As Barca glided and Madrid slid on the slippery Nou Camp turf Ronaldo grew increasingly frustrated. He shoved Guardiola after the Barca coach had tossed the ball past him, sparking a 20-man scrum.
Guardiola said: ‘It is not easy to play like that against a team as powerful as Real Madrid. The players were extraordinary.’
Asked if this was a message to Mourinho’s side, he added: ‘We don’t play to send out messages. We played well tonight but let us see what happens during the rest of the season.’
He also played down the clash with Ronaldo on the touchline that saw the former Manchester United player booked.
‘These are just things that happen on the pitch during a game,’ he said.
Things that just happen will not be an explanation that satisfies Mourinho.