José Mourinho's second spell as Real Madrid manager began with a nervy 2-1 La Liga victory away to Espanyol on Saturday, sealed only in the 90th minute by substitute Carlos Espí. The Portuguese coach, 63, returns to the Spanish capital thirteen years after leaving in 2013, and his debut was far from comfortable — but ultimately delivered the winning start he needed.
Jude Bellingham opened the scoring after just nine minutes, heading home a dangerous free kick delivered by Arda Güler, as Madrid's star-studded lineup — which also included Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr — began to probe. Mourinho handed debuts to new signings Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konaté, with the Dutch right-back particularly active down the flank in the first half. Espanyol, the Barcelona-based club competing in Spain's top flight, responded well and levelled in the 30th minute through Álex Calatrava, who slotted home a cut-back from Javi Hernández after a well-constructed team move. Madrid struggled to regain control, with Federico Valverde striking the outside of the post and Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic denying Mbappé from close range. Mourinho introduced record signing Yan Diomande and Marc Cucurella in search of a winner, and relief came deep into stoppage time when Espí — the lowest-profile of Madrid's summer arrivals, a former Levante striker — capitalised on a loose ball in the box to fire home.
The match was also marked by controversy surrounding the treatment of Vinicius Jr. Within the opening five minutes, Calatrava brought the Brazilian winger down from behind and appeared to make contact with him again while he was on the ground. Madrid's players appealed for a red card, but the referee took no action. After the match, Mourinho spoke at length about what he described as systematic targeting of Vinicius. "It's a pattern that repeats itself from one opponent to the next," Mourinho said. "We're in an era where society is against bullying, yet with Vini we're still seeing bullying — from opponents and from the crowd." The manager urged the winger to maintain emotional composure in response to the provocation.
The result matters beyond three points. Mourinho has returned to a club that failed to win a major trophy in each of the past two seasons, with Bellingham — excellent in his first year after arriving from Borussia Dortmund but disappointing since — in need of a reset. The task ahead includes not only rebuilding team cohesion after a turbulent period, but also mounting a sustained challenge to Barcelona's domestic dominance. A last-gasp win is an imperfect beginning, but a winning one nonetheless.