Mourinho vents frustration as Fiorentina fight back to draw with Real Madrid

Jose Mourinho sharply criticised his Real Madrid players after their poor start to the second half allowed Fiorentina to recover in Saturday’s 2-2 friendly draw.

Real Madrid had gone into the interval 2-1 ahead and could have built a more commanding advantage after creating and missing several clear opportunities in the opening 45 minutes. However, their performance changed significantly after the restart, with the Spanish side losing control of the match and allowing Fiorentina back into the contest.

Fiorentina equalised in the 58th minute through Moise Kean, cancelling out Real Madrid’s lead and completing the Italian side’s response. The goal followed a sluggish opening to the second half from Mourinho’s team, who were unable to maintain the level of performance they had shown before the break.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, Mourinho reacted angrily to the display and delivered a stern reprimand to his players. The Portuguese manager was particularly frustrated by what he viewed as a lack of concentration and intensity from Real Madrid after half-time.

The report said the team returned for the second half in a relaxed state, allowing Fiorentina to dictate more of the game. Real Madrid subsequently surrendered control of the match, a development which provoked Mourinho’s anger on the touchline.

Mourinho used the cooling break, the scheduled pause for players to take on fluids, to address the situation directly. He strongly criticised the squad and demanded that they raise their performance levels and regain their focus.

The intervention came after Real Madrid had failed to turn their first-half superiority into a decisive advantage. Despite holding a 2-1 lead at half-time, they had already missed a number of clear chances to extend the margin, leaving the result vulnerable once the quality and intensity of their play dropped.

Fiorentina took advantage of that decline after the restart, with Kean’s 58th-minute equaliser ensuring the friendly ended level at 2-2. Mourinho’s reaction reflected his dissatisfaction with how quickly the momentum had shifted from Real Madrid to their opponents.

The match therefore ended with Real Madrid unable to protect their half-time lead, while Mourinho’s strongest message to his players came during the cooling break as he called for greater concentration and a sharper second-half performance.