MADRID — Jose Mourinho’s second coming at Real Madrid could hardly have been scripted with more tension. The Portuguese tactician watched his side labour against a stubborn Espanyol before substitute Carlos Espí pounced in the 90th minute to secure a 2-1 victory in Saturday’s La Liga opener. It was a result that carried the hallmarks of the Special One’s first spell: moments of frustration, flashes of brilliance, and an unyielding refusal to settle for anything less than all three points.
Jude Bellingham had given Los Blancos the lead in the opening fixture of the season, continuing the English midfielder’s remarkable habit of delivering on the biggest stages. But Espanyol refused to wilt, and Alex Calatrava’s equaliser threatened to spoil Mourinho’s homecoming narrative. The former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss responded by turning to his bench, introducing new signings Yan Diomande and Marc Cucurella in the final 25 minutes as Real Madrid piled forward in search of a winner. Federico Valverde came agonisingly close, his low drive from the edge of the box clipping the outside of the post as Espanyol dug deep to deny the visitors clear-cut chances.
For all of Real Madrid’s dominance in possession, the game remained delicately poised until Espí’s late intervention. The French forward — La Liga’s top scorer in both of his seasons at the club — was not at his lethal best in front of goal, and it fell to the substitute to provide the decisive moment. The win gives Mourinho immediate breathing room as he embarks on his second stint at the Santiago Bernabéu, with the club’s ambitions extending far beyond domestic matters. With the UEFA Champions League campaign looming, the former Porto boss will know that performances like this one — gritty, determined, and ultimately successful — are exactly what title-winning sides are built upon.
The result also sends an early statement to Barcelona, who began their own campaign with a victory over Elche a day earlier. Real Madrid’s late heroics ensure they keep pace with their eternal rivals in what promises to be another gruelling title race. For Mourinho, the message is clear: his team may not always be pretty, but they find a way. And on a sun-drenched evening in Cornellà, that was all that mattered.
