The last time Real stayed winless after two La Liga matches was in the 2001-02 season. -Photo by AP

MADRID: An angry Jose Mourinho gave his Real Madrid players a rare public tongue lashing after they squandered the lead and slumped to a 2-1 defeat at city neighbours Getafe in La Liga on Sunday.

The shock reverse ended the Spanish champions' unbeaten run of 24 league matches, their longest in 15 years, and was the first time they had lost in La Liga after leading at half time in more than five years.

Coming after last weekend's 1-1 draw at home to Valencia, it also left them five points behind Barcelona after two matches, a significant gap in a competition where the arch rivals often go toe to toe until the season finale.

“Real was very bad, an unacceptable match,” a grim-faced Mourinho told a news conference while refusing to single out any player in particular for criticism.

“The only message I want you to take away tonight is that it was a deserved defeat for us,” he told reporters.

“This was a match in which the defeat was absolutely deserved. More than two matches with just one point it was a horrible match.”

Getafe's equaliser just after halftime, when Juan Valera slipped marker Sergio Ramos and nodded past Iker Casillas from a free kick, would have particularly irked Mourinho given the amount of work the players have been doing on dead ball situations in training.

They also conceded a header in similar circumstances when leading 1-0 against Valencia. “We have been doing more work than ever on dead ball situations and there is nothing more we can do,” Mourinho said.

“We cannot work any harder on organisation,” added the Portuguese.

“That goal and the one we conceded against Valencia were two ridiculous goals.”

The last time Real stayed winless after two La Liga matches was in the 2001-02 season. They finished third in La Liga and lost the King's Cup final to Deportivo Coruna but won the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen.

Opinion

Editorial

Large projects again?
Updated 03 Jun, 2024

Large projects again?

Government must focus on debt sustainability by curtailing its spending and mobilising more resources.
Local power
03 Jun, 2024

Local power

A SIGNIFICANT policy paper was recently debated at an HRCP gathering, calling for the constitutional protection of...
Child-friendly courts
03 Jun, 2024

Child-friendly courts

IN a country where the child rights debate has been a belated one, it is heartening to note that a recent Supreme...
Dutch courage
Updated 02 Jun, 2024

Dutch courage

ECP has been supported wholeheartedly in implementing twisted interpretations of democratic process by some willing collaborators in the legislature.
New World cricket
02 Jun, 2024

New World cricket

HAVING finished as semi-finalists and runners-up in the last two editions of the T20 World Cup in familiar ...
Dead on arrival?
02 Jun, 2024

Dead on arrival?

Whatever the motivations for Gaza peace plan, it is difficult to see the scheme succeeding.