Real Madrid secures late victory against Espanyol in Mourinho's return
Jose Mourinho's second tenure as Real Madrid manager began with a 2-1 La Liga win over Espanyol, sealed by substitute Carlos Espi's 90th-minute goal. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring for Real Madrid, with Alex Calatrava equalizing for Espanyol before Espi secured the points. Mourinho commented that Real Madrid deserved to win, but Espanyol did not deserve to lose, noting Espanyol's long-standing teamwork. Mourinho's starting lineup included Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Bellingham, and new signings Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries, and Ibrahima Konate. Bellingham, playing in an attacking midfield role, scored the first goal of Mourinho's second era from an Arda Guler free-kick. Espanyol leveled the score in the 30th minute through Calatrava. Real Madrid pressed for a winner, with Marko Dmitrovic saving from Mbappe and Federico Valverde hitting the post. Ultimately, Espi capitalized on a loose ball in the box to score the decisive goal. Espanyol's Calatrava expressed disappointment, stating the late goal was a "gut-punch" after their hard work. In other matches, Sevilla defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-1, and Valencia drew 0-0 with Celta Vigo.
