Jose Mourinho’s return to La Liga after 13 years got off to a dramatic start as Real Madrid secured a late 2-1 victory over Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium.
Jude Bellingham opened the scoring for the visitors in the ninth minute, heading in Arda Guler’s cross. Espanyol responded in the 30th minute when Alex Calatrava converted to bring the hosts level.
Mourinho made several changes after the interval, introducing new signings Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella and Yan Diomande as he looked to change the course of the match.
His substitutions eventually paid off when 21-year-old Carlos Espi scored a dramatic 90th-minute winner on his first-team debut.
Despite Real Madrid claiming all three points, Mourinho acknowledged that Espanyol had produced a strong performance and did not deserve to leave the match empty-handed.
“I think we deserved to win but Espanyol didn’t deserve to lose,” Mourinho said after the game.
The Portuguese manager praised Espanyol’s organisation and admitted that his Real Madrid side still have work to do despite beginning the campaign with victory.
“We played a complete second half, we deserved the win. Espanyol were very organised, great game, it’s tough for them.”
Mourinho also pointed out that Espanyol had no players involved in the World Cup, suggesting that this gave the hosts an advantage in terms of preparation.
“Espanyol didn’t have players at the World Cup and you could see it. We still have work to do.”
The victory gives Real Madrid a positive start to the new campaign, with Mourinho now preparing his side for a challenging away fixture against Real Sociedad.