Real Madrid opened their 2026-27 La Liga campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Espanyol on Saturday, with substitute Carlos Espí scoring a 90th-minute winner in José Mourinho's first competitive match since returning to the club.
Jude Bellingham gave Madrid an early lead with a header, but Espanyol, who finished 11th last season under Manolo González, fought back and levelled through Álex Calatrava in the first half. With the match seemingly heading for a draw, Espí, a summer signing from Levante, pounced late on to score his first goal for the club and hand Mourinho a winning start.
It marked Mourinho's first game in charge of Real Madrid since his first spell ended by mutual agreement in 2013. The Portuguese coach, who won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during that first stint, returned to the Bernabéu in June on a contract through 2029.
Real Madrid's start to the season had been delayed by more than a week relative to the rest of La Liga because of the number of the club's players involved in the latter stages of this summer's World Cup, pushing their original opening fixture against Real Sociedad back to Wednesday, August 26. Saturday's trip to Espanyol therefore became their first competitive match of the campaign.
Mourinho fielded a strong Real Madrid side featuring new signings including Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella and Bernardo Silva alongside senior players Thibaut Courtois, Vinícius Júnior, Arda Güler and Federico Valverde. After the match, Mourinho defended Vinícius Júnior, saying the forward had been "bullied" following clashes with Espanyol players and supporters during the game.
The win gives Mourinho an ideal start to life back in charge of the club as he looks to help Real Madrid reclaim the La Liga title after finishing as runners-up to Barcelona last season.
