José Mourinho's first game in charge of Real Madrid in 4,380 days ended in a dramatic 2-1 win at Espanyol, sealed by a 90th-minute goal from Carlos Espí. While the rest of the bench sprinted down the touchline to celebrate, Mourinho clenched his fists, walked behind them, and pulled over captain Fede Valverde for a word.
A new hero emerges
Despite the presence of Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and Yan Diomande—the most expensive player in the club's history—it was Espí, a 21-year-old signed from Levante six months ago, who secured the victory. Espí, who helped rescue Levante from relegation last season and still lives at Madrid's Valdebebas training ground, was brought in as an old-school No 9. When Mbappé saw the ball run away from him in the area, Espí forced it over the line.
Mourinho's first game since a 4-2 win over Osasuna in May 2013 began with photographers abandoning their posts to surround him on the bench, and ended with him hugging Espanyol coach Manolo González, high-fiving the referee, and ducking down the tunnel. In between, reality was revealed: it is early, and solutions are never immediate. Espanyol limited the visitors' chances, though Madrid had more of them.
Old flaws and new hopes
Madrid exhibited some old flaws, but doubts were allayed for a while. Mourinho had described his time at Benfica as “three hard, intense, sometimes violent years,” but nostalgia has left only the good. He said he is “not the kind of man who misses anything,” yet president Florentino Pérez had missed him, clinging to the idea that Madrid's success after his departure—six Champions League wins in 11 years—was down to him.
Mourinho told a story revealing that after every trophy Madrid won, Pérez would call him. “I always said no, no, no, it was nothing to do with me,” he said. He added that the trophies belonged to Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti, not him. Madrid have not won a major title in two years, and Mourinho said, “We have to try not to negotiate things that are non-negotiable. Commitment can't be missing.”
Vinícius, Mbappé, and Bellingham together
Vinícius's future had been resolved, and the World Cup is out of the way. Mourinho noted that Brazil, France, and England had found ways to get the best out of Vinícius, Mbappé, and Bellingham individually, but getting the best of all three is different. “I don't think they're incompatible,” he said. Bellingham started at No 10, with Vinícius tight to the touchline. “For me this is his position: the connection with the forwards, he can score goals. He has to play close to the goal,” said Mourinho.
Bellingham had an immediate impact, heading in Arda Guler's cross after nine minutes from a dead ball. But Espanyol equalised through Calatrava after a move involving Tyrhys Dolan and Javi Hernández. Mbappé twice forced saves from Dimitrovic, and Bellingham hit the bar, but the breakthrough came late. Mourinho turned to his substitutes—Cucurella, Diomande, Camavinga, Alexander-Arnold, Espí—until Espí scored the winner.
“I think we deserved to win, but Espanyol didn't deserve to lose,” Mourinho said, ending the night with a touch of humility.
