Jose Mourinho, the Inter Milan coach, declared the result “completely right” after seeing his team usurped at the top of Champions League Group F thanks to a 2-0 defeat at Barcelona.

Gerard Pique and Pedro struck early goals at the Nou Camp to help the holders move two points clear at the top of the pool and within touching distance of a place in the knockout phase.

And Mourinho was gracious enough to concede the club he once worked at were worthy winners

“Barca did better in the first half, much better than us,” he said. “The 2-0 result is completely right.

“We saw a more balanced game in the second half, I thought there was a clear penalty for us which would have given us more confidence, but Barca won and they deserved to win.

“I was expecting a different approach, a team with less fear. Barca played at a much higher tempo than us, both in attack and defence, and in attack with Xavi or (Andres) Iniesta there’s no-one better in the world. In the second half we got into their area two or three times, but it wasn’t enough.”

The Portuguese admitted his side have some way to go to reach the standard of Pep Guardiola’s European champions.

“We’re far from being Barca in terms of individual qualities and profile,” he said. “Obviously we can’t say we won’t win if we meet Barcelona in a later phase of the competition, but as a team Barcelona are better than us.

“Not having available players like (Lionel) Messi or (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic wasn’t a problem for them. They have a structure of play with every player and Pedro for example, is a great player.”

Despite their strengths, Mourinho would relish another crack at Guardiola’s men in the later stages.

“If I had to play against Barca again tomorrow, I would already be ready,” he said. “If you told me that Inter will face Barca in the semi-final, I will accept it already.”

Last night’s outcome left the Catalan giants on eight points after five games, two clear of Inter and Rubin Kazan and three above Dynamo Kiev, meaning the Nerazzurri may need to beat the Russian outfit in their final match to guarantee their last-16 berth.

“This result leaves us in a situation in which we only need a draw if Barca don’t lose in Kiev,” Mourinho said. “But this doesn’t mean that we will play for a draw.

“It’s important that a draw won’t be enough for Rubin Kazan, so they won’t be coming to the Meazza to play a defensive game.”