Sunday night could not get any better for Real Madrid fans.
uncertain
night → get → fans
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When the action kicked off under the lights at Camp Nou for the Clasico, Jose Mourinho’s side were far from the favourites.
asserted
side → survive → favourites
But after 90 minutes of drama and fiery football, Real had the last laugh, beating rivals Barcelona 2-1 in a tantalising match.
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Real → have → match
The victory has renewed belief among the Bernabeu faithful, who are counting on Mourinho to lead them back to glory days.
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who → renew → days
Real earn bragging rights and snap Barca’s perfect record
Mbappe’s brace – which took his tally to 14 goals this season – was enough to silence the tens of thousands of Barcelona supporters at Camp Nou.
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which → earn → Nou
With that, Los Blancos became the first side to beat Barcelona in the league this season, ending the Catalan club’s nine-game winning streak in the top flight.
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Blancos → become → flight
Had Barcelona won, they would have broken Real’s 1968-69 record for a best-ever start in the Spanish top flight.
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they → win → flight
It also marked a second straight defeat for Hansi Flick’s side, coming only days after they fell to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
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they → mark → League
As for Real, victory brought home bragging rights.
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victory → bring → rights
Real now lead the head-to-head record with 107 wins to Barca’s 106 in their all-time Clasico record.
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Real → lead → record
Mbappe hits a century of Real goals
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Mbappe → hit → goals
A day before the world tunes in to watch the Ballon d’Or ceremony for the best player of the 2025-26 season, Mbappe achieved another milestone.
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Mbappe → tune → milestone
The French forward’s brace brought up his 100th goal for Real across all competitions since joining in 2024 from PSG.
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brace → bring → PSG
The 27-year-old, the second-best La Liga scorer this season, is building on a remarkable performance last campaign, which saw him finish as La Liga and the Champions League’s top scorer, the World Cup Golden Boot winner and the all-time leading World Cup scorer.
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him → build → scorer
Those statistics have made him one of the frontrunners for the Ballon d’Or ahead of Monday’s gala in London.
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him → make → London
Real are slowly closing the gap on Barcelona
Defeats to Real Betis and Atletico Madrid last month shook Real’s top-flight campaign, but recent results reflect stability.
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results → close → stability
Real have now won five matches in a row – three in La Liga and two in the UCL – and seem to be coming into strong form.
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Real → win → form
Even though Sunday’s victory was just a second in eight games against Barcelona, Real are slowly reducing the gap on Barca this season, with just over a quarter of the season played.
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quarter → reduce → season
After 10 matches, they are third in the league standings on 24 points, three points behind Barcelona, while Atletico are sandwiched in between, sitting second with 25 points.
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Atletico → sandwich → points
Can Mourinho bring Real back to glory days?
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Mourinho → bring → days
The improvement in form suggests Mourinho’s Real can challenge Barcelona’s recent La Liga dominance in his first season back in Spain.
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Real → suggest → Spain
After two seasons without trophies, Real turned to old boss Mourinho to find a way to stop Barca’s dominance.
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Real → turn → dominance
Although Mourinho has not won a league title since guiding Chelsea to the Premier League crown in 2014-15, his record as one of football’s most decorated managers remains formidable.
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record → win → managers
Thirteen years after his first spell at Real ended, Mourinho’s return to the Clasico offered a chance to make an immediate statement, and victory over Barcelona made it all the sweeter.
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it → end → Barcelona
The result should also help to boost morale and build unity within the Real squad.
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result → help → squad
More importantly, Mourinho now has evidence that his methods can help return Real to the summit of Spanish football.
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methods → have → football
“If we win today but lose at El Sardinero, it counts for nothing, because Madrid isn’t playing to win at the Camp Nou,” Mourinho said.
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Mourinho → win → Nou
“They’re playing to win the championship.”
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They → play → championship
Mourinho has made his intentions clear.
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intentions → make → ?
After celebrating Sunday’s Clasico win with his trademark knee slide, the 63-year-old manager knows his job is far from over.
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job → celebrate → slide
Having led Real to three trophies during his first spell, including a record-breaking La Liga triumph, Mourinho knows best what Real are capable of achieving.
asserted
Real → lead → triumph
The Aporia
