Mourinho fumes despite Clasico win
Mourinho voiced his frustration with the match officials following his side's crucial 2-1 victory over Barcelona. The Portuguese boss felt a pivotal refereeing decision went against his team during the latest highly-anticipated edition of El Clasico.
The Sunday showdown marked the 10th matchday of a gruelling Liga campaign. Los Blancos ultimately claimed all three points in a fiercely contested battle between the bitter rivals. However, the positive result was slightly overshadowed by Mourinho's explosive post-match comments. He singled out a specific second-half incident involving Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo and Madrid's Yan Diomande.
Accusing VAR of falling asleep
Mourinho firmly believes Cancelo should have been dismissed in the 60th minute. He argued that the Portuguese full-back committed a dangerous tackle on Diomande that warranted a straight red card. While he praised the on-field referee, Mourinho directed his anger entirely at the video assistants. He accused the technology team of completely missing a clear and obvious error.
"We played a great match against a great opponent," Mourinho stated during his press conference. "With a referee who, in my opinion, had an excellent match, and a VAR that, in my opinion, was sleeping in the 60th minute, because it was clearly a red card for Cancelo's foul on Diomande."
A superb victory over rivals
Despite his obvious frustration regarding the VAR intervention, Mourinho ensured he highlighted his team's overall performance. Beating their fierce rivals provided a significant boost to their Liga ambitions. The former Inter Milan coach acknowledged the quality of the opposition on the day. He made sure to praise his players for overcoming the stiff challenge presented by Barcelona.
"But it was a superb match, a superb victory," Mourinho concluded.
Looking ahead to future fixtures
Madrid will now look to build on the valuable momentum gained from this crucial Clasico triumph. Securing maximum points against Barcelona keeps Mourinho's men firmly in the hunt for the league title at this early stage of the campaign. Mourinho’s side will next travel to face Racing Santander in Liga this weekend.