Mourinho Begins Second Real Madrid Spell With Tough Victory Against Espanyol

Jose Mourinho got his second spell at Real Madrid off to a winning start as his side beat Espanyol 2-1 in the latest La Liga clash. Carlos Espi was the real hero for Mardid, as he came off the bench and scored the winning goal in the 90th minute to seal all three points.

Mourinho named a strong starting XI, with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all starring for the club. Apart from them, Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate also made their Real Madrid debuts in the latest fixture.

Mourinho gave Bellingham a more attacking role in midfield and allowed him to move around the pitch. The England international was involved in several of Madrid’s attacks before eventually finding the net.

Bellingham scored the first goal of Mourinho’s second spell at the club, heading Arda Guler’s dangerous free-kick into the net.

Espanyol came close midway through the first half, but Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied Clemens Riedel with a good save. Roberto Fernandez then sent another effort over the bar soon after.

However, Madrid failed to take the warning seriously and were punished in the 30th minute. Calatrava brought Espanyol level by finishing Javi Hernandez’s cut-back after a well-worked team move.

Marko Dmitrovic then kept Espanyol in the game with a fine save to deny Mbappe after the French forward broke into the right side of the box.

Mourinho made further changes in the closing stages, introducing Yan Diomande and Marc Cucurella, as Los Blancos pushed for a second goal.

Real Madrid continued to push forward, but Espanyol defended well and made it difficult for them to create clear chances. Federico Valverde came close when his low shot from the edge of the box struck the outside of the post.

Los Blancos finally got the breakthrough in the 90th minute when Carlos Espi reacted quickly to a loose ball inside the box and fired it into the net to give Madrid the win. It was certainly a tough battle at the RCDE Stadium in which Mourinho’s side came out on top after Espanyol threatened to pull off a major upset with their attacking play.