Jose Mourinho has finally done it. His demons can now surely be laid to rest. Well, some of them at least.
On Saturday night, Real Madrid virtually secured the La Liga title and in doing so provided Chelsea with fresh hope for their Champions League clash here on Tuesday.
A deft finish from Cristiano Ronaldo, his 42nd league goal of the season, did it. It came in the 72nd minute, just two minutes after Barcelona had equalised through Alexis Sanchez and apparently injected fresh fight into the title race.
Strike back: Cristiano Ronaldo scored immediately after
Barcelona's equaliser
MATCH FACTS
Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Mascherano, Puyol,
Adriano (Pedro 75), Busquets, Xavi (Sanchez 69), Thiago, Iniesta, Messi, Tello
(Fabregas 80).
Subs not used: Montoya, Pinto, Keita, Pique
Goals: Sanchez 70
Booked: Busquets, Alves, Mascherano
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Coentrao; Xabi Alonso, Khedira; Cristiano, Ozil (Callejon 88) Di Maria (Granero 74), Benzema (Higuain 90).
Subs not used: Adan, Kaka, Granero, Marcelo, Albiol
Booked: Pepe, Alonso, Ozil
Goals: Khedira 17, Ronaldo 73
Subs not used: Montoya, Pinto, Keita, Pique
Goals: Sanchez 70
Booked: Busquets, Alves, Mascherano
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Coentrao; Xabi Alonso, Khedira; Cristiano, Ozil (Callejon 88) Di Maria (Granero 74), Benzema (Higuain 90).
Subs not used: Adan, Kaka, Granero, Marcelo, Albiol
Booked: Pepe, Alonso, Ozil
Goals: Khedira 17, Ronaldo 73
But in a corner, all alone, a group of white-shirted players huddled around Ronaldo and celebrated.
For now they know they have surely fulfilled their Herculean task and unseated the greatest team in the world.
For Mourinho, rejected by this club more than once, it is personal. Sometimes it feels as if he is waging is a one-man war against the Catalan club.
He might have bettered them with Inter Milan but his Real Madrid team had only defeated them once in 10 outings before last night, although that was in a cup final.
And perhaps he may not even get to play them again in the Champions League final if his side can get past Bayern Munich.
For Mourinho's former players at Chelsea must surely take some hope from last night's events. What constitutes a crisis at the world's best football club?
After two defeats all season, two in four days might qualify. Last night, the Nou Camp turned on familiar style. The stadium was bedecked in Catalan colours, the slogan 'prepared' read: 'We are and we will be!', which implied a club in charge of their destiny.
Super-sub: Alexis Sanchez came off the bench to
score
They were not, of course, trailing Real Madrid
by four points before this match. Mourinho has tried everything against Barca:
going toe-to-toe with them, playing ultra defensively, kicking them off the
pitch, pressing them high up.
Generally it has failed, sometimes spectacularly. Last night, though, he rediscovered his positive alter ego again with a lineup that belied fear, fielding only two holding midfielders, with Mesut Ozil an adventurous choice in attacking midfield. And it worked.
From the off Real Madrid looked positive, like the team genuinely in control of their fate. R onaldo jumped well to head goalwards from a corner that Victor Valdes had to tip over in the sixth minute. Valdes was called into action again in the eighth minute, pushing away a shot from Karim Benzema.
Generally it has failed, sometimes spectacularly. Last night, though, he rediscovered his positive alter ego again with a lineup that belied fear, fielding only two holding midfielders, with Mesut Ozil an adventurous choice in attacking midfield. And it worked.
From the off Real Madrid looked positive, like the team genuinely in control of their fate. R onaldo jumped well to head goalwards from a corner that Victor Valdes had to tip over in the sixth minute. Valdes was called into action again in the eighth minute, pushing away a shot from Karim Benzema.
Delight: Sami Khedira and his Real Madrid team-mates
celebrate after his opening goal
Scrappy: Khedira bundled home the opener after defensive
tomfoolery from Carles Puyol
They retreated deeper as the second half
progressed. And the play acting returned as the necessity to protect the lead
and break up the game intensified. But they disrupted Barcelona with legitimate
methods. If not broken down, the famous passing carousel was not functioning as
smoothly.
Barca played a 3-4-3 formation but never truly exploited a theoretical midfield superiority. And Chelsea will have relished Barca's more familiar frailties, that is from set-pieces. The opening goal came from a corner for which Valdes came but never looked likely to collect, allowing Pepe a header across goal.
Carles Puyol tried to clear, but Sami Khedira sensed the opportunity and hacked at the ball until he forced it over the line. It was a significant goal too. It took Real Madrid's tally to 108, a record for a league season, beating John Toshack's team from 1989-90.
Barca played a 3-4-3 formation but never truly exploited a theoretical midfield superiority. And Chelsea will have relished Barca's more familiar frailties, that is from set-pieces. The opening goal came from a corner for which Valdes came but never looked likely to collect, allowing Pepe a header across goal.
Carles Puyol tried to clear, but Sami Khedira sensed the opportunity and hacked at the ball until he forced it over the line. It was a significant goal too. It took Real Madrid's tally to 108, a record for a league season, beating John Toshack's team from 1989-90.
Going nowhere: Lionel Messi could not make his usual mark
on the game
Battle: Javier Mascherano challenges Karim
Benzema
Leap: Ronaldo duels for the ball with Puyol
Barca responded and should have equalised. But
just like at Stamford Bridge last Tuesday, usually heroic figures were found to
have feet of clay.
Lionel Messi squirmed away from the attention of his markers in the 28th minute and delivered a characteristic delightful throughball for Xavi.
Eight yards out from goal with Iker Casillas to beat, the finish seemed inevitable but he pulled his shot wide. More was to come in the 54th minute. This time Thiago provided the perfect through-ball, this time it was the coltish 20-year-old Tello with the perfect scoring chance. But, head up, he lifted his shot high and wide.
Lionel Messi squirmed away from the attention of his markers in the 28th minute and delivered a characteristic delightful throughball for Xavi.
Eight yards out from goal with Iker Casillas to beat, the finish seemed inevitable but he pulled his shot wide. More was to come in the 54th minute. This time Thiago provided the perfect through-ball, this time it was the coltish 20-year-old Tello with the perfect scoring chance. But, head up, he lifted his shot high and wide.
Brave: Iker Casillas dives in as Dani Alves hurtles over
the top
Mind games: Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola are not fond
of each other
Surprise and expectation: Messi found it hard going, while
Pepe picked up a yellow card
Edge: Real Madrid's Fabio Coentrao beats Alves to the
ball
Eventually they did find a finish. It came in
the 72nd minute as Messi and Andres Iniesta contrived to set up Tello for a shot
which rebounded from Casillas to Adriano.
His strike found Alexis, whose first touch was saved by Casillas. But the goalkeeper could only palm the ball back to the substitute striker, who prodded it back into the net. The Nou Camp roared defiance and the finale was set.
Except that, almost immediately, Ronaldo pounced. Ozil's through- ball exposed Barca and Ronaldo raced onwards, leaving Javier Mascherano behind as he sized up a shot and finished from just inside the box. Cue silence and a small knot of celebrating players in a corner of the ground.
His strike found Alexis, whose first touch was saved by Casillas. But the goalkeeper could only palm the ball back to the substitute striker, who prodded it back into the net. The Nou Camp roared defiance and the finale was set.
Except that, almost immediately, Ronaldo pounced. Ozil's through- ball exposed Barca and Ronaldo raced onwards, leaving Javier Mascherano behind as he sized up a shot and finished from just inside the box. Cue silence and a small knot of celebrating players in a corner of the ground.
Bad week: Guardiola lost to Chelsea and could not get the
result he wanted against Madrid
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