MADRID, 23 August, 2026 (News Desk): Jose Mourinho’s second spell in charge of Real Madrid got off to a winning start as the Spanish giants secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Espanyol in their opening La Liga fixture on Saturday. Substitute Carlos Espi scored the decisive goal in the 90th minute to seal all three points for Madrid after Jude Bellingham had opened the scoring and Alex Calatrava equalised for Espanyol.Bellingham put Real Madrid ahead after heading home Arda Guler’s dangerous free-kick. Espanyol responded in the 30th minute when Calatrava finished Javi Hernandez’s cut-back following an impressive team move. Real Madrid continued to create opportunities, with Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic making an important save to deny Kylian Mbappe after the French forward broke into the area.
Espanyol also threatened at the other end, with Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois keeping out a powerful effort from Clemens Riedel. Mourinho returned to Real Madrid 13 years after leaving the club and has been tasked with restoring stability following a difficult previous season and challenging Barcelona’s dominance in Spanish football. The Portuguese coach handed starts to stars including Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Bellingham, while new signings Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate also made their debuts. Speaking after the match, Mourinho said he believed Madrid deserved to win, while acknowledging that Espanyol also produced a strong performance.The late victory gives Mourinho an encouraging start to his second spell at Real Madrid as the club begins its campaign with three valuable points.