Mourinho Wins His First Match After Returning to Madrid, A Major Challenge Awaits

Jakarta, 23/8/2026 (ITSMe) - Jose Mourinho kicked off his second spell as Real Madrid head coach with a dramatic victory. Los Blancos defeated Espanyol 2-1 in the second LaLiga matchweek at RCDE Stadium, Barcelona, early Sunday morning (23/8/2026) WIB.

The winning goal was scored by Carlos Espi in the 90th minute. Earlier, Jude Bellingham put Madrid ahead in the 9th minute, before Alex Calatrava equalised for Espanyol in the 30th minute.

For Mourinho, this match also marked his official comeback after over 13 years away from the club. He last managed Los Blancos back in 2013.

Madrid showed their attacking intent right from kickoff. Mourinho deployed Bellingham as an attacking midfielder playing just behind Kylian Mbappe, with Vinicius Junior operating down the left flank.

This tactic delivered immediate results. In the 9th minute, Arda Guler delivered a set piece cross which Bellingham headed home to put Madrid 1-0 up.

That lead did not last long. Madrid's match intensity dropped, allowing Espanyol to start pushing out from under pressure and grow into the game.

The home side eventually equalised in the 30th minute. Javi Hernandez played a ball into the penalty area which Alex Calatrava finished cleanly to beat Thibaut Courtois.

Espanyol even looked the more dangerous side heading into half time. Madrid created a clear chance through Mbappe, but goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic produced a good save to deny him.

After the half time break, Madrid attempted to regain control of the match. Bellingham came close to scoring his second goal, when his header from Guler's corner struck the crossbar after being parried by Dmitrovic.

Federico Valverde also nearly restored Madrid's lead in the 78th minute, but his deflected shot bounced off the outside of the goalpost.

Mourinho then made substitutions to boost his side's attacking drive. Marc Cucurella and Yan Diomande entered the pitch in the 64th minute, followed by Eduardo Camavinga, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Espi in the 80th minute.

That decision would end up being the turning point of the match.

Espi, the 21 year old striker newly signed from Levante, pounced on a loose ball after Mbappe lost possession inside the penalty box. He burst forward, wrong-footed Dmitrovic then slotted the ball into the empty net right on the 90th minute.

This goal saved Madrid from a draw, and secured three vital points for Mourinho in his first competitive match since returning to Santiago Bernabeu.

Notably, this was not a fully dominant victory for Madrid. Mourinho himself openly acknowledged this fact after the final whistle.

According to the Portuguese manager, Madrid deserved the win, but Espanyol also did not deserve to leave the match with zero points.

Espanyol had entered this fixture with high confidence. Before facing Madrid, they had beaten Levante 3-0 in their opening league match, with Tyrhys Dolan on the scoresheet. The English winger had publicly stated beforehand that Espanyol would not alter their game approach just for facing Madrid and Mourinho.

Dolan also warned that Madrid would punish every single mistake made against them. The match proved this statement correct, even though Espanyol were the side that put Madrid under sustained pressure for most of the fixture.

For Mourinho, these three points make for an ideal start. But this match in Barcelona has also exposed the large amount of work still left to be done with his squad.

Madrid may have Bellingham, Mbappe and Vinícius as their star front three, but finding balanced play between this trio will clearly require far more than just one single match.

This win over Espanyol buys Mourinho time and builds early squad confidence. However, if Madrid intend to become serious title contenders, performances at this standard will not always be enough to secure results.

For the time being, Mourinho can enjoy this comeback victory. And on this night, the player that rescued him was not one of Madrid's big name superstars - it was Espi, the young substitute who had only stepped onto the pitch 10 minutes prior.