Mourinho’s comeback sees Real Madrid edge Espanyol with late winner

Jose Mourinho returned to the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday, guiding a star‑laden Real Madrid to a 2-1 triumph over Espanyol after a dramatic late goal.

Opening goal and early drama

Jude Bellingham opened the scoring, heading home from an Arda Guler free‑kick to give the home side an early lead. Espanyol responded before the half‑hour mark when Alex Calatrava finished a well‑worked cut‑back from Javi Hernandez.

"I think that we deserved to win but that Espanyol didn't deserve to lose," Mourinho told reporters.

The Portuguese veteran praised Espanyol’s cohesion, noting they had no players at the World Cup and had been training together for months.

Key moments and tactical tweaks

Mourinho started the match with superstars Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Bellingham, and also gave debuts to Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate. Mbappe’s attempts were limited and Vinicius was repeatedly fouled, prompting Mourinho to complain about the physicality of the opposition.

In the final quarter, Mourinho introduced record signing Yan Diomande and new arrival Marc Cucurella in search of a breakthrough. A low effort from Federico Valverde rattled the post, but it was former Levante striker Espi who sealed the win, tapping in a loose ball in the 90th minute.

What the result means and what follows

The victory gives Mourinho a foothold and eases pressure ahead of La Liga’s opening fixtures, where Barcelona host Elche and Atletico Madrid welcome Villarreal. However, the narrow margin and reliance on a last‑minute goal highlight that the squad still needs time to gel under the new manager.

Real Madrid will look to build on this win as they aim to dethrone Barcelona’s recent domestic dominance and restore their trophy cabinet.