BARCELONA, (Reuters) – It took him nine attempts but Jose Mourinho finally got to taste sweet victory as a visiting coach at Barcelona’s Nou Camp yesterday when his Real Madrid side snatched a dramatic 2-1 success in the lair of their arch rivals.
The colourful Portuguese, who again declined to speak to the media after the game, had compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo to thank for netting the 73rd-minute winner on a rain-lashed night in the Catalan capital as Real moved seven points clear in La Liga with four games left.
Club president Florentino Perez hired Mourinho to end Barca’s Spanish and European domination and there was a sense after yesterday’s result that a shift in the balance of power between the two world powerhouses could be imminent.
Real have to overturn a 2-1 deficit at home to Bayern Munich on Wednesday if they are to reach next month’s Champions League final and if holders Barca can get past Chelsea, who beat them 1-0 in London this week, they will face a swaggering Real side filled with new confidence in another mouthwatering ‘Clasico’.
The former Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan manager got his tactics spot on in Saturday’s La Liga clash, comprehensively outwitting Pep Guardiola for only the second time in 10 meetings in all competitions since he arrived from Italy two years ago.
Guardiola’s decision to start with inexperienced B-team winger Cristian Tello backfired and he waited too long before bringing Cesc Fabregas, Alexis Sanchez and Pedro off the bench.
Mourinho appeared to have learned a lesson from his former club Chelsea, who managed to contain a dominant Barca in much the same way in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge.
DANGEROUS PLAYER
After snatching an early lead through Sami Khedira, his battling troops repelled wave after wave of largely toothless Barca attacks and the home side’s scrappy equaliser from Sanchez served merely to set the stage for Ronaldo’s breathtaking breakaway winner.
