El Clasico 2016: Players and Coaches React After Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is targeting UEFA Champions League success after beating rivals Barcelona, 2-1, at the Camp Nou in La Liga on Saturday, a result he dubbed a "turning point" in the season.

By contrast, Barca boss Luis Enrique sees the defeat, one marking the end of 39 games unbeaten, per Sky Sports Statto, as a cruel reminder to his treble-chasing squad that winning this season's major trophies won't be as easy as expected.

He also refused to make "excuses" for star-studded forward trio Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar failing to find the net.

Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out Gerard Pique's opener in a game not short on controversy. Madrid forward Gareth Bale had a goal disallowed by a soft decision, while Madrid centre-back Sergio Ramos was sent off for picking up two yellow cards, with the game at 1-1.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

The result leaves Los Blancos still seven points off the top, but Zidane heralded its importance, while also targeting capital city neighbours Atletico Madrid in second place.

For now, though, Real's best hope of silverware appears to be winning Europe's premier club competition for an 11th time, something Zidane believes this result will help his players prepare for, per ESPN's Dermot Corrigan:

The Frenchman made it clear how success in Europe is at the forefront of his player's minds:

But Zidane hasn't lost sight of still improving Los Merengues' standing in Spain's top flight this season:

Dominating Europe again and leapfrogging Atleti will require more of the defensive discipline Zidane's players displayed at the Camp Nou. The back four was solid, sans Ramos' now-typical rush of blood to the head.

One of those defenders, left-back Marcelo, described how tough the match was, while praising his team's smart tactics.

"We owed the fans something and we showed what we can do," he said, according to Spanish publication AS (h/t FourFourTwo). "All teams that play against Barcelona suffer. It is very complicated to play here at Camp Nou. We managed to hurt them with our counter-attacks."

But the defenders did get superb support from goalkeeper Keylor Navas and holding midfielder Casemiro.

Zidane was quick to hail his side's miserly approach:

Yet he was also keen to praise the collective performance of his team:

While Zidane rightly revelled in the plaudits, Enrique was content to extinguish the result from his thinking as quickly as possible, per AS English:

Enrique didn't want to use a frantic recent schedule to excuse his usually lethal forwards failing to fire, per AS (h/t FourFourTwo): "I do not want to look for excuses when a result is not good. We have the world's best players, and they have to travel for internationals. We have to accept that."

Pique echoed his manager's sentiments about moving on quickly from this painful loss, per the club's official site:

But Enrique doesn't want his players to forget the vital lesson from this game, according to Corrigan:

Enrique knows Barca can't dwell on things, but he did offer a reminder that his team remains in a strong position to retain the title:

While that's true, losing at home to their fiercest rivals will rate as a tough psychological blow for Barcelona's ultra-talented squad. For Zidane and Madrid, it's proof that on their day, this team can win any game, a good omen for the Champions League.