Real Madrid Snatch Late Win at Espanyol on Mourinho's Return
- On Saturday, August 22, 2026, Real Madrid secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Espanyol at RCDE Stadium after substitute Carlos Espi scored the match-winning goal in the 90th minute.
- Manager Jose Mourinho returned to the club for his first game in over 13 years, tasked with revitalizing a squad that has gone two seasons without a trophy.
- Jude Bellingham headed home an early opener in the ninth minute from an Arda Guler cross, but Espanyol leveled the score at the half-hour mark through Alex Calatrava.
- Despite controlling 63% of possession, Real Madrid struggled to penetrate Espanyol's disciplined defense, which frustrated the visitors with 19 fouls throughout the 90 minutes.
- The win provides three points for Los Blancos to kick off the 2026-27 La Liga campaign, though the team appeared lost at times against the low block.
52 Articles
52 Articles
Real Madrid won the victory by the hand of Carlos Espí, one of his new signings
The youth did what Mbappé, Bellingham and the rest of the Merengue stars could not do.He broke the tie when the match ended with a definition of a scorer.The Portuguese technician asked for it and the club paid the Levante 25 million euros for his pass.
DECRYPTAGE - After the victory at the last minute of the Real, dominator in Barcelona, for its start of the season, discover what attracted the attention of the editorial staff of the Figaro.
Radio France Internationale
Real Madrid snatch late win at Espanyol on Mourinho's return
Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in Los Blancos' opening fixture of the season, and new signing Espi secured the points at the death after Alex Calatrava had levelled against Mourinho's star-studded team. "I think that we deserved to win but that Espanyol didn't deserve to lose," Mourinho told reporters. "They didn't have any players at the World Cup and have been working together for a long time, and you could see that." Back in charge of Mad…
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