La Liga: Madrid beat Espanyol 2-1 in Mourinho’s first game on return

Jose Mourinho's return to Real Madrid began with a thrilling 2-1 victory against Espanyol, secured by a last-gasp goal from substitute Carlos Espi in the 90th minute. This win marks a dramatic start to Mourinho's second tenure at the club.

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Substitute Carlos Espi pouncing in the 90th minute to grab the winner.

New signing Jude Bellingham opened the scoring for Los Blancos in their opening La Liga fixture of the season. However, Espanyol fought back, with Alex Calatrava leveling the score after a well-worked team move. The match seemed destined for a draw until Espi, the lowest-profile of Madrid's summer acquisitions, capitalized on a loose ball in the box to fire home the decisive goal.

Mourinho, back in charge 13 years after his initial departure, faces the challenge of restoring order to the dressing room and ending Barcelona's domestic dominance. He fielded a star-studded lineup featuring Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Bellingham, alongside new arrivals Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries, and Ibrahima Konate.

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Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in Los Blancos’ opening fixture of the season, and new signing Espi secured the points at the death after Alex Calatrava had levelled against Mourinho’s star-studded team.

Bellingham, who had an exceptional first season after arriving from Borussia Dortmund but experienced two subsequent disappointing years, was instrumental in Madrid's attack. Mourinho deployed him in an attacking midfield role with freedom to roam, and he was heavily involved before scoring the opening goal, heading home Arda Guler's free-kick. Espanyol, however, showed resilience, with goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic making a crucial save against Mbappe and Thibaut Courtois denying Clemens Riedel at the other end.

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Mourinho started with superstars Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Bellingham, as well as handing debuts to Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate.

Despite Espanyol's strong defensive effort, Madrid ultimately found the breakthrough. Mourinho also introduced further new signings, record signing Yan Diomande and Marc Cucurella, in the final 25 minutes as the team pushed for a winner. Federico Valverde struck the post with a low effort from the edge of the box, but it was Espi who ultimately secured the three points for Mourinho's side.

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Bellingham had an excellent first season at Madrid after arriving from Borussia Dortmund but the subsequent two were disappointing, both for him and the club, who failed to win a major trophy in either.