Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-1 in Jose Mourinho’s first game on return

What the report says

Real Madrid opened their La Liga season with a 2-1 away win over Espanyol in Barcelona on Saturday, in Jose Mourinho’s first match back in charge for a second spell at the club, according to Al Jazeera’s report from AFP. The result came late, with substitute Carlos Espi scoring in the 90th minute after the game had been level for much of the afternoon.

Jude Bellingham put Madrid ahead with a header from Arda Guler’s free kick, but Espanyol answered in the first half through Alex Calatrava, who finished a team move after Javi Hernandez’s cut-back. Al Jazeera reported that Madrid had chances through Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde, while Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic also made an important save.

The match was notable for several new faces in Mourinho’s squad, including Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate in the starting lineup, with Yan Diomande and Marc Cucurella later introduced as Madrid searched for a winner. The article said Mourinho returned to the club 13 years after leaving and faces pressure to steady the team after last season’s upheaval and challenge Barcelona’s domestic dominance.

The late victory gives Mourinho an encouraging start, but the narrow margin and Espanyol’s resistance suggest Madrid may still need time to settle.