Real deflated at Camp Nou

"I don't talk about referees," deadpanned José Mourinho after his Real Madrid side had been eliminated from the King's Cup in a frenetic 2-2 tie at Camp Nou. But, according to a Catalan daily, the Portuguese coach had lurked in the bowels of Camp Nou to confront referee Fernando Teixeira, who put in a somewhat erratic performance. "In the dressing room I heard players saying it's impossible to win here," said the coach.

Real has had seven players dismissed in its last ten games against Barcelona, Sergio Ramos becoming the latest to stalk down the tunnel after incurring a second yellow for a challenge on Sergio Busquets that the Barça midfielder embellished theatrically.

Mourinho has long maintained that referees favor Barça against his team, a view that earned him a three-match touchline ban after last season's Champions League semifinal. On this occasion, the Portuguese had a fair point: had Ramos' headed effort at the start of the second half stood, Real would have progressed on away goals. As it was, Dani Alves, whose glorious first-half strike sent the home side 2-0 up, displayed the less endearing side of his game by tumbling under minimal contact from the Real defender to get an annulment.

Real had the better of the earlier exchanges, with Gonzalo Higuaín taking advantage of Gerard Piqué's concentration lapse only to shoot wide. Cristiano Ronaldo then flashed a shot past José Pinto's near post before the reserve keeper played a ball straight to the feet of Higuaín, making amends by blocking the striker's effort. Mesut Özil rattled Pinto's bar from long range but Leo Messi jinked through the Real backline to feed Pedro at the end of the half, giving Barça a slightly undeserved lead. Real fought back after the break, Ronaldo and Karim Benzema leveling the affair, but the biggest cheer of the evening was reserved for Messi when he scythed down Real's chief villain Pepe, who indulged the home crowd's baiting with a spot of elaborate badge-kissing at the final whistle.

Barça has now won nine of 14 clásicos with Pep Guardiola in charge, losing just last year's cup final, which Real celebrated grandly in the capital. But it was Barça singing in the locker room on Wednesday after an unfortunate night for Real. Iker Casillas summed up the mood in Mourinho's camp, darkly inviting Teixeira to "go and join the party."