Jose Mourinho was absolutely delighted to see his Real Madrid team return to form, after a difficult period in the beginning of the season, with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo struck the winner in the final minute of normal time for the home side, after Manchester City had taken the lead twice through Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov.
Marcelo equalised the first time around for Real at a packed Bernabeu, before Karim Benzema made it 2-2 with three minutes to go, allowing Ronaldo to strike the game-winning goal, in a game which was largely dominated by Real.
"I'm proud of my team regardless of the result," Mourinho told reporters after the match. "This team has Real Madrid DNA.
"What it means is that it shows pride. To die on the field is not something easy to ask. Today the players have gone home tired. That has only happened on the day of the Barcelona matches.
"I felt that things were not going in the right direction. Real Madrid can lose matches like tonight, fighting like animals, but not playing like in Getafe and Seville. It was important to get that feeling that when they want to, they can."
Mourinho felt his side were more committed than they have been all season, leading to the positive result. "In Seville we had players who did not win a ball in ninety minutes," he said. "We did not win a rebound as a team and we just ended up tired after the match.
"Today was the opposite. The team was solid, compact, recovered balls and were committed as a team to play aggressively. We dominated and we won. City did not get a shot on goal in the first 45 minutes.
"Conceding a goal and keeping on going. Scoring and keeping on going ... that is Real Madrid. That's honorable. I am nobody in the history of Real Madrid. I have just arrived, but as a coach I have the right to say that the Real Madrid wants to see this commitment.
"They want more quality and so do I. We had it in the past and we will have it again. It is difficult to play better than we played today. There was a tremendous commitment from the team and everyone is happy. Not only to rediscover last year's DNA but also to win a big match.
"We have three points and we have taken an important step towards qualifying from a tough group."
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