Jose Mourinho’s return to the Real Madrid dugout began with a dramatic 2-1 win against Espanyol in the opening La Liga fixture of the season. The victory was secured in the 90th minute when substitute Carlos Espi, the lowest-profile of the club’s summer signings, pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area to fire home the winner.
The match saw Jude Bellingham open the scoring for Los Blancos, heading in a dangerous free-kick delivered by Arda Guler. Mourinho, back at the helm 13 years after his initial departure, is tasked with stabilizing a dressing room that struggled with internal chaos last season and challenging Barcelona’s domestic dominance.
Mourinho fielded a star-studded lineup that included Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Bellingham, while handing debuts to new arrivals Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries, and Ibrahima Konate. Despite the attacking talent, Espanyol remained competitive throughout the first half. Thibaut Courtois was forced into action to deny a drive from Clemens Riedel, and Roberto Fernandez narrowly missed the target shortly after.
The hosts eventually leveled the score in the 30th minute. Following a well-executed team move, Javi Hernandez provided a cut-back that Alex Calatrava slotted home. Madrid struggled to regain their rhythm, with Kylian Mbappe denied by Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic after breaking into the right side of the box. The French forward, who has led the league in scoring for two consecutive seasons, struggled to find his clinical edge.
As the match progressed, Mourinho looked to his bench, introducing record signing Yan Diomande and Marc Cucurella in the final 25 minutes to inject fresh energy. Federico Valverde came close to breaking the deadlock when his low effort from the edge of the area struck the outside of the post, but the visitors eventually found their breakthrough through Espi’s late intervention.
In other La Liga action held earlier in the day, Sevilla secured a 3-1 victory away at Athletic Bilbao, while the match between Valencia and Celta Vigo ended in a 0-0 stalemate. The report also notes that back in charge of Madrid 13 years after leaving, Portuguese veteran Mourinho must bring the dressing room under control after the chaos of last season, and end Spanish champions Barcelona’s domestic dominance. The report also notes that both for him and the club, who failed to win a major trophy in either, bellingham had an excellent first season at Madrid after arriving from Borussia Dortmund but the subsequent two were disappointing. The report also notes that mourinho installed him in attacking midfield with licence to roam and the former Birmingham man was heavily involved before his goal as Madrid probed.
