According to a post shared by Fabrizio Romano on X on Sunday, October 25, 2026, João Cancelo has claimed that Barcelona were the better team despite suffering a defeat against Real Madrid in their El Clásico clash.

The Portuguese defender maintained that Barcelona created more goal-scoring opportunities than their rivals but failed to convert those chances into goals.

“We were better than Real Madrid,” Cancelo said.

“We had more chances of goal, but this is Real Madrid. They only need a few chances,” he added.

Cancelo’s remarks reflected his belief that Barcelona had performed well enough to secure a more favourable result. However, he also recognised Real Madrid’s ability to take advantage of limited opportunities and make them count when it matters most.

Real Madrid ultimately emerged victorious, defeating Barcelona 2-1 on Sunday, October 25, according to the LaLiga fixture record.

The loss denied Barcelona the opportunity to claim bragging rights in one of the biggest rivalries in Spanish football.

Despite the disappointing outcome, Cancelo concentrated on the number of chances his team created rather than allowing the final scoreline to define their overall performance.

His comments also highlighted a common reality in high-profile football matches: creating more opportunities does not necessarily lead to victory when those chances are not converted.

Against a team as clinical as Real Madrid, failing to take advantage of scoring opportunities can have serious consequences.

While Real Madrid celebrated an important victory, Cancelo continued to believe that Barcelona had offered more in terms of attacking opportunities. However, he did not provide specific statistics to substantiate his assessment.

The defender’s comments offered an insight into Barcelona’s perspective on the encounter, although the final result remained in Real Madrid’s favour.

Ultimately, Cancelo believed that the key difference between the two sides was their ability to convert their chances, with Madrid proving more effective in front of goal.