Joao Cancelo says Barcelona were better despite Real Madrid defeat

Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo believes his side were the better team overall despite losing 2-1 to Real Madrid in the 10th round of La Liga at Camp Nou.

The defeat ended Barcelona’s run of nine consecutive league victories and left them facing back-to-back losses. They had been beaten 4-2 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday before Real Madrid claimed victory in the clasico.

“I think we were the better team overall in the match, at least that is my opinion,” Cancelo said in comments reported by AS.

“But this is Real Madrid. They can score from the fewest chances, and now we have to come back strongly against Alaves next week.”

Real Madrid had been waiting since the 2023/2024 season to record their first victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou. Their previous win at the stadium came in October 2023, when they also won 2-1.

Cancelo said Barcelona would review their performance and work to recover quickly from the result.

“We will analyse our mistakes in the match and correct them, and we will try to make up for this defeat quickly,” he said.

The Portugal international maintained that Barcelona had been the stronger side, while acknowledging Real Madrid’s ability to decide matches with limited opportunities.

“We are the stronger side, and we are better than them, but this is Real Madrid. They can settle the match from just two chances,” Cancelo added.

The result strengthened Real Madrid’s position in the title race. They moved on to 24 points in third place, one point behind second-placed Atletico de Madrid.

Barcelona remain top of La Liga on 27 points, despite suffering their second defeat of the season and their first in the competition after nine straight wins.

Barcelona now have a full week to prepare for their next fixture against Alaves at Spotify Camp Nou as they attempt to recover from consecutive defeats.