Real Madrid secured a 2-1 victory over Espanyol on August 22 at Espanyol’s home ground, RCDE Stadium, marking José Mourinho’s return as head coach after 13 years away from the club [1, 2, 3, 4]. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the 9th minute, heading in a cross from Arda Guler to give Madrid an early lead [1, 2, 3, 5, 4]. Espanyol equalized in the 30th minute through Alex Calatrava, who finished after a pass from Javi Hernandez to level the score [1, 2, 3, 6, 4].
Mourinho made several substitutions in the second half, including introducing Carlos Espi around the 80th minute. Espi, who was signed from Levante about six months ago for a reported €25 million, scored the winning goal in the 90th minute to clinch the match [1, 2, 7, 3, 5, 6, 4]. Espi has been in fine form, netting 11 LaLiga goals since late February, the highest tally in that period [5].
Starting lineups featured high-profile players like Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Jude Bellingham for Real Madrid at kickoff [3, 5, 6]. Mourinho praised Bellingham’s attacking role near the goal, saying, "For me this is his position, the connection with the forwards, he can score goals, he has to play close to the goal." He also highlighted Espi’s work ethic and decisive contribution: "He's living a dream but he doesn't work like someone on the moon, he works a lot for the team. The goal decides everything." [5]
Despite the victory, Mourinho acknowledged Espanyol’s organized performance, stating, "I think we deserved to win. But Espanyol didn't deserve to lose." He also addressed criticism faced by Vinícius Júnior, calling it "systemic" and excessive from the start of the match [5, 6].
Real Madrid had further chances in the second half but were thwarted by Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic and a goalpost hit [3, 4]. The match marked Mourinho’s first game as Real Madrid manager since May 2013, when he previously led the club to a LaLiga title in the 2011-12 season [7, 4].
