{"id":8622,"date":"2026-08-24T11:56:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T08:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/?p=8622"},"modified":"2026-08-24T11:56:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T08:56:59","slug":"espanyol-real-madrid-mourinho-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/espanyol-real-madrid-mourinho-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid: Esp\u00ed Seals Mourinho\u2019s Winning Return\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Carlos Esp\u00ed scored a 90th-minute winner as Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 2-1 in Jos\u00e9 Mourinho\u2019s first match since returning as head coach.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jos\u00e9 Mourinho began his second Real Madrid spell with a dramatic La Liga victory as substitute Carlos Esp\u00ed struck late at Espanyol on Saturday, 22 August 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jude Bellingham scored after nine minutes, but \u00c0lex Calatrava equalised before half-time. Espanyol appeared to have earned a point until Esp\u00ed reacted quickest to a loose ball and secured Madrid\u2019s opening victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Espanyol vs Real Madrid Match Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Match detail<\/strong><\/td>Information<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Competition<\/td>La Liga, 2026\/27 season<\/td><\/tr>
Date<\/td>Saturday, 22 August 2026<\/td><\/tr>
Venue<\/td>RCDE Stadium<\/td><\/tr>
Result<\/td>Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid<\/td><\/tr>
Half-time score<\/td>Espanyol 1-1 Real Madrid<\/td><\/tr>
Espanyol scorer<\/td>\u00c0lex Calatrava, 30th minute<\/td><\/tr>
Real Madrid scorers<\/td>Jude Bellingham, 9th; Carlos Esp\u00ed, 90th<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bellingham Scores First Goal of Mourinho\u2019s Return<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mourinho selected Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior and Bellingham together alongside new arrivals Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konat\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bellingham operated as the central attacking midfielder. After Vin\u00edcius won a free-kick on the left, Arda G\u00fcler delivered an accurate cross, and Bellingham headed beyond Marko Dmitrovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal arrived nine minutes into Mourinho\u2019s first Madrid match in 4,380 days. His team pressed aggressively, briefly suggesting they could take complete control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"EspiEspi celebrates after scoring for Real Madrid against Espanyol. Courtesy picture<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calatrava Leads Espanyol\u2019s Response<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Espanyol gradually played through Madrid\u2019s pressure. Thibaut Courtois saved Clemens Riedel\u2019s effort before Roberto Fern\u00e1ndez sent the rebound over, warning that the lead was vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The equaliser arrived in the 30th minute following a flowing move involving Tyrhys Dolan and Javi Hern\u00e1ndez. Calatrava collected the final pass and finished calmly to make it 1-1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to The Guardian\u2019s account of Mourinho\u2019s return<\/a>, Espanyol limited Madrid despite the visitors creating more chances. The hosts might have led before the interval but wasted promising opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madrid Waste Chances Before Esp\u00ed Strikes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mbapp\u00e9 forced Dmitrovi\u0107 into saves but lacked precision. Early in the second half, Bellingham headed G\u00fcler\u2019s corner against the crossbar via the goalkeeper\u2019s hand. The rebound reached Mbapp\u00e9, who directed it wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federico Valverde later struck the outside of the post as Madrid increased the pressure. Mourinho introduced Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella and Esp\u00ed while searching for a winner against an organised Espanyol defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decisive moment arrived in the 90th minute. Mbapp\u00e9 lost control inside the box, but Esp\u00ed anticipated the loose ball and forced it over the line. The 21-year-old former Levante striker transformed a frustrating draw into three points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mourinho Recognises Espanyol\u2019s Performance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mourinho celebrated with restraint before congratulating Espanyol coach Manolo Gonz\u00e1lez and the match officials. He acknowledged afterwards that Madrid deserved victory but also felt the hosts had performed well enough not to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His restrained reaction contrasted with celebrations from the bench, but the relief was clear. Madrid had not controlled the entire match, and victory arrived through persistence rather than complete tactical dominance during a difficult opening-night contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SuperSport match report noted that Madrid\u2019s new coach must restore order following a turbulent previous campaign and challenge Barcelona\u2019s domestic control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"RealReal Madrid players celebrate together after scoring against Espanyol. Courtesy picture<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the Win Means for Madrid and Mourinho<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The result gives Madrid three opening-day points and prevents Mourinho\u2019s second spell from beginning with a frustrating draw. In a title race that may leave little room for mistakes, winning a difficult away fixture provides an early platform without hiding the team\u2019s weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Mourinho, Esp\u00ed\u2019s intervention validates his use of the bench. Bellingham\u2019s influence as an attacking midfielder supports one of his tactical decisions. However, Madrid\u2019s drop in intensity, missed chances, and defensive vulnerability show that returning to championship level requires improvement. Victory brings momentum but remains only a beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow La Liga with Bangbet Uganda<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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End Note<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Real Madrid secured the required result, but the performance showed that Mourinho\u2019s rebuilding work remains at an early stage. Bellingham looked effective closer to goal, while Esp\u00ed demonstrated the value of providing a genuine penalty-area presence from the bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Espanyol\u2019s organisation, passing and determination deserved recognition. Madrid will face stronger tests, and their leading forwards must become more clinical. Nevertheless, Mourinho\u2019s second era begins with three points, a decisive contribution from a young substitute and evidence that his squad possesses several ways to influence tight matches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carlos Esp\u00ed scored a 90th-minute winner as Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 2-1 in Jos\u00e9 Mourinho\u2019s first match since returning as head coach. Jos\u00e9 Mourinho began his second Real Madrid spell with a dramatic La Liga victory as substitute Carlos Esp\u00ed struck late at Espanyol on Saturday, 22 August 2026. Jude Bellingham scored after nine minutes, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[122,108,105,132,131,83],"class_list":["post-8622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football-news","tag-bangbet-uganda","tag-football","tag-football-news","tag-laliga","tag-real-madrid","tag-sports-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8622"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8623,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8622\/revisions\/8623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/ug\/temps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}