Mourinho returns to Spain with a hard-fought late win
Real Madrid, now led by José Mourinho, beat Espanyol 2-1 away, scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute. It was the Portuguese coach's first match in his second spell in charge of the club since 2013.
José Mourinho made his return to the Real Madrid dugout in a tense away fixture against Espanyol in La Liga's second round, which the visitors ultimately won 2-1.
Match summary
From the opening minutes, the home side tried to unsettle Real Madrid physically, with Vinicius being fouled as early as the third minute without a card being shown. Despite this, Real Madrid opened the scoring in the tenth minute, as Jude Bellingham headed in a precise cross from Arda Güler.
Espanyol responded before halftime. In the 30th minute, a build-up inside the penalty area found Alex Calatrava, who converted to level the score at 1-1.
After the break, Real Madrid took control of the game, dominating possession and creating numerous chances, including a Federico Valverde effort in the 78th minute that struck the post. Despite the pressure, the visitors could not find a second goal for most of the second half.
The decisive moment came in stoppage time. In the 90th minute, after a Kylian Mbappé attack was stopped, 21-year-old Carlos Espí, a recent signing from Levante, quickly seized on the loose ball and finished into an empty net to secure a 2-1 win for Real Madrid.
Context
This was Mourinho's first match back in charge of Real Madrid since leaving the club in 2013. His first match during his previous tenure, in 2010 against Mallorca, ended in a goalless 0-0 draw.
Real Madrid's next test comes on August 26, when they host Real Sociedad at home.
