Mourinho: No Shame in Finishing Second

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho believes there is no shame in his side finishing second in the BBVA Primera Liga this season.

Madrid's 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday night took them back to within seven points of league leaders FC Barcelona, who had beaten Atletico Madrid 24 hours earlier.

The two sides are the only candidates fighting for the league title, but with Barcelona having dropped just five points all season and having set a new record of 16 consecutive league wins, they have to be favorites to win the race.

Although he insisted his side would not give in, speaking in Monday's edition of sports paper Marca, Mourinho said that finishing behind Barca was no shame.

"Of all of the seasons I have started as a coach, I have always finished first, except on one occasion and that was my third season with Chelsea," said Mourinho.

"I am used to finishing first, but if we finish second, I don't see it as a problem. The important thing is not to throw titles away. If we do our job well in the season and still finish second, then we can still go on holiday with our heads held high," added the Madrid coach.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as his side brushed past a weak Real Sociedad, who looked overawed on their first appearance in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in four years.

Ronaldo now has 24 goals this season and is enjoying a head to head battle with Leo Messi to end the season as top scorer in Spain.

"I say the same thing to everyone: if he doesn't score another goal between now and the end of the season, he will still have had an extraordinary season," said Mourinho.

"He always plays flat out," said the coach, who also expressed his satisfaction with the performances of Kaka and Emanuel Adebayor, both of whom scored important goals in the game.