Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

REAL SECOND SPOT IS BAD NEWS FOR BIG GUNS - MOURINHO

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MADRID, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Real Madrid's failure to progress to the Champions League last 16 as Group D winners is bad news for whichever team they draw in the next round, according to coach Jose Mourinho.

Borussia Dortmund clinched top spot in probably the toughest group in the competitio­n thanks to Wednesday's 4-1 win at Ajax Amsterdam, with ninetimes winners Real going through in second after a 11 stalemate at Manchester City. When the last-16 draw

I finished second with Porto behind Real Madrid and with Inter I finished behind Barcelona and I won and I have won the group other times and I have not won

is made on Dec. 20, Real cannot be paired with Dortmund or the three other Spanish teams that have qualified - Barcelona, Valencia and Malaga - but will have to overcome one of the group winners.

Possible heavyweigh­t opponents include Bayern Munich, who knocked them out in the semi-finals last season, Manchester United, Juventus, Paris St Germain or Arsenal.

Mourinho, who became the youngest coach to take charge of 100 Champions League matches on Wednesday, noted that his teams had come second in their groups when he won Europe's elite club competitio­n with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010.

“Two times I have finished second and gone on to win it,” the 49-year-old Portuguese told a news conference. “I finished second with Porto behind Real Madrid and with Inter I finished behind Barcelona and I won and I have won the group other times and I have not won.

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