Jose Mourinho has made a winning start to his second spell as Real Madrid head coach after guiding the club to a 2-1 victory over Espanyol in a LaLiga match played on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at RCDE Stadium.
The victory gave Mourinho three valuable points on his return to the Real Madrid bench after more than 13 years away.
The match was far from straightforward for Real Madrid. Jude Bellingham put Madrid ahead in the ninth minute, heading home a free-kick delivered by Arda Güler.
However, Espanyol fought back through Alex Calatrava in the 30th minute to level the score and send the teams into half-time at 1-1.
Real Madrid continued searching for the winning goal in the second half. Bellingham came close to scoring again, while Fede Valverde struck the post in the 77th minute.
Mourinho continued making changes, bringing on players from the bench to add more attacking strength.
The decision paid off in the 90th minute when Carlos Espí, who had come on in the 80th minute, capitalised on a loose ball inside the penalty area following an incident involving Kylian Mbappé to score the winning goal and make it 2-1.
The goal made the new striker the hero of the day and handed Mourinho a winning start on his return to the Real Madrid dugout.
