José Mourinho's Real Madrid Sequel Opens with Late Drama
José Mourinho’s Real Madrid sequel began the only way he truly understands: with late drama and a decisive punch.
Carlos Espí, the summer signing handed just 10 minutes off the bench, crashed in a 90th-minute winner to steal a 2-1 victory at Espanyol and turn an anxious opening night into a statement.
Mourinho back, and straight into the fire
Thirteen years after his last competitive game in charge of Madrid, Mourinho walked back into LaLiga with all the usual noise swirling around him and a revamped side under his arm. For most of the evening in Barcelona, it looked like his return would be filed under “frustrating” rather than “explosive.”
“I think we deserved to win. But Espanyol didn't deserve to lose,” he said afterwards. That line summed up the balance of a game Madrid controlled without ever fully killing.
The start, though, was pure Madrid.
Nine minutes in, Jude Bellingham announced himself all over again. On his first start since helping England finish third at the World Cup five weeks ago, he ghosted into the box and met an Arda Güler free kick with a firm header to put Madrid 1-0 up. Same stride, same authority, new role.
Mourinho admitted he had wrestled with the decision to start him.
“I had doubts whether to start him or bring him on. I don't know if I did the right thing starting him, but physically and mentally he's very strong,” he said. “For me this is his position, with his connection with the forwards, he can score goals. He has to play close to the goal. Playing at No. 6 or No. 8, we're losing his closeness to the goal. I like this Jude, in top physical condition, he works for 90 minutes of quality.”
Espanyol hit back, Madrid grind
The early lead did not last. On the half-hour, Álex Calatrava dragged Espanyol level, punishing Madrid’s looseness and snapping the visitors out of their early comfort.
From there, Mourinho’s side tightened their grip. The second half belonged to them in territory, in pressure, in intent. Espanyol, though, refused to fold. They dug in, blocked, cleared, survived.
“The second half we had good control, pressure, we risked a lot, we deserved to win,” Mourinho argued. The risk was real: Madrid pushed higher, committed bodies, and left space behind. For long spells, it looked like they would pay with two dropped points.
Mourinho had already reshaped his team from the touchline. He had gone bold from the start, too.
Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries and Bernardo Silva all made their first competitive starts for the club, the first time since 2009 that Madrid had opened a LaLiga campaign with three debutants in the XI. Back then it was Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká and Karim Benzema. Different era, same sense of a new project being thrown straight into the spotlight.
Just after the hour, the club’s biggest summer signing arrived. Yan Diomande, the Ivory Coast winger brought in from RB Leipzig for an initial €125 million, replaced Güler in the 64th minute. His cameo added fresh legs and another threat, but not the breakthrough.
Espí’s moment
As the clock bled toward stoppage time, tension wrapped itself around the stadium. Espanyol sensed a point. Madrid felt two slipping away.
Then Kylian Mbappé was knocked off the ball near the edge of the box. The loose ball fell into the kind of space strikers dream about and defenders fear. Espí read it first.
One touch, one ruthless finish past Marko Dmitrovic. 2-1. Mourinho’s second era had its first defining snapshot.
The 21-year-old forward arrived from Levante this summer for a reported €25 million after lighting up LaLiga last season. This was his first goal for Madrid, but his 11th in the league since Feb. 27 — more than any other player in that span. The form has carried over. So has the cold edge in front of goal.
“He's living a dream but he doesn't work like someone on the moon, he works a lot for the team,” Mourinho said. “The goal decides everything.”
On this night, it did.
A familiar edge, a different Madrid
This was not a vintage performance. It was something else Mourinho values just as highly: control under pressure, a late winner, a squad already bending to his demands.
He has defended Vinícius Jr. publicly in recent days, railing against what he called “bullying” of the Brazilian, and he now has a forward line layered with options: Mbappé’s star power, Bellingham’s late runs, Diomande’s price-tag expectation, Espí’s hunger.
The cast has changed since Mourinho last prowled the Bernabéu touchline. The script, on nights like this, has not. Madrid found a way.
Next up is Real Sociedad on Wednesday, the first home game of the season and Mourinho’s true reintroduction to the Bernabéu. After a 90th-minute winner on day one, what kind of welcome will he get when the lights go on in Madrid?
