LaLiga30 min ago1 minute read

Mourinho Proves His Bench Magic As Real Madrid Beat Barcelona

José Mourinho used late substitutions to seal a 2-1 Clásico victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou.

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Late Clásico Drama

Real Madrid cut Barcelona's lead at the top of LaLiga to three points after winning 2-1 at Camp Nou. It was Barcelona's first home league defeat since May 2023, ending a 19 game winning streak at their stadium.

Eduardo Camavinga came off the bench in the 80th minute for Bernardo Silva. Seven minutes later, he ran onto a pass from Arda Güler and set up Kylian Mbappé for the winning goal.

Substitutes Change The Season

This was José Mourinho's 13th game in his second spell as Real Madrid manager. His team has scored in the final ten minutes in all 13 matches this season.

It was also the 13th time a substitute provided a goal or an assist for Madrid. Mourinho explained after the match that he told Aurélien Tchouaméni to hold his defensive spot while Camavinga ran into space to beat Barcelona's offside trap.

Tactics And Decisions

Mourinho has faced questions over his match management this season. In six of his 13 games, he did not use all five available substitutes.

His decisions worked against Barcelona, but earlier games showed slower reactions. Against Real Betis, he waited until after Troy Parrott scored to warm up Carlos Espí in a 1-0 loss. Against AS Roma, his late changes saved a 4-3 win after going 3-1 down. Still, the Clásico win shows his squad depth is paying off.

What it means for the next game

Racing Santander vs Real Madrid (LaLiga, Sun, 01 Nov): Racing Santander win 14%, draw 16%, Real Madrid win 70%; expected goals 1.25 to 2.86. Our safest pick: Real Madrid draw no bet.

AEK Athens vs Real Madrid (Champions League, Wed, 04 Nov): AEK Athens win 27%, draw 23%, Real Madrid win 50%; expected goals 1.41 to 1.99. Our safest pick: Real Madrid draw no bet.