Champs League: did Mourinho walk the talk?

New Delhi: The third dose of the always absorbing, mind-boggling, and spilled with magic third installment of the El-Clasico was the first leg of the semi-final between Barcelona and Real Madrid, and by the events that transpired at the Santiago Bernabeu, it was anything but a 'classic'. After Barcelona winning the battle in the league front by registering a draw, and Real getting one back by winning the Copa Del Rey, something had to give, and it definitely did.

Robust tackling, incessant swearing and blatant tackles marred one of the most-awaited semi-finals of the European competition.

Mourinho was at his own flamboyant best before the match, talking up an exciting game and trading jibe over jibe on Guardiola. The Barca coach on the other hand refused to give in to the Portuguese' lure and retracted from commenting, advising the media to watch the answer in the form of the performance of the team, his team.

What followed at the home of Los Blancos was the mother of all European performances. Mourinho had come up with a predictable yet shocking strategy. For a coach of his swagger and fearlessness he set out to 'park the bus' so to say and play an absorbing game hitting their foes on the counter.

What Mourinho forgot was that this was Santiago Bernabeu, not Camp Nou.

And the only thing thing apart from goals and assists that Barcelona do not repeat is a mistake they've already made.

Josep Guardiola made sure Barca played their own game and if Real Madrid wanted to absorb possession, they definitely got a lot to absorb thanks to Barca turning their style on. The Madrid defence mechanism showed glimpses of the Milan wall which the Blaugaurana could not break in 2009-10, and Barca still did not try to break it. They in fact found their way around it!

After Messi took out Sergio Ramos out of the competition by inducing a challenge from the Spaniard and Pepe the ticking time bomb finally exploded, it was time for Barca to do what they were good at, pass an opposition to death.

Mourinho saw his tactic and his team evaporate in front of his very eyes, and blew his fuse, was shown red and sent to the stands and saw all hopes of the Champions League all but slip out of his hands.

Now Barcelona head to the second leg with a two-away goal lead, and Mourinho travels to the intimidating landscape of the Camp Nou without his two defensive mainstays. Quite the proverbial mountain to climb but put it past Mourinho at your own peril.

Th Real Madrid coach has been known to turn his gameface on the European mega-event, but it was wasteful disposition on his part and maybe a sense of knowing-it-all in the competition that let complacency seep in that little nook opened up by the impact of vanity on the man

There is not doubting that Mourinho did talk the talk, but the talk ends with the press conference.