Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid: Carlos Espí rescues Mourinho at the death

Coming off the bench, the young Spanish striker handed Real a precious victory in the dying moments

Europe Today at 17:34

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Espanyol 1-2 Real Madrid: Carlos Espí rescues Mourinho at the death

22.08.26 FT LaLiga Spain

Espanyol

Real Madrid

Pushed to the limit until the final seconds, Real Madrid relied on their new signing Carlos Espí to start their Liga campaign with a bang.

Real Madrid narrowly avoided the trap set by Espanyol (2-1) at the RCDE Stadium. For their opening match of this 2026-2027 Liga season, the Madrid side took control early. In just the 9th minute, Jude Bellingham met a perfectly curled free kick from Arda Güler with a powerful header. However, the Catalans hit back through Álex Calatrava after a cross from Javi Hernández, leaving the teams level at halftime.

¡VICTORIA EN NUESTRO PRIMER PARTIDO DE LA TEMPORADA!@Emirates pic.twitter.com/WCbitV9ivV
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 22, 2026

Mourinho's winning tactical move

Dominant throughout the second half, Los Merengues struggled for precision in the final third. Madrid’s possession rarely translated into clear-cut chances against a tightly packed defense. José Mourinho then shook things up, bringing on a second striker to play alongside Kylian Mbappé.

The gamble paid off at the death. Carlos Espí, signed this summer by Real Madrid, popped up to score the decisive goal and deliver three invaluable points to his new manager. At 21, the former Levante forward is coming off a season that earned him the league’s best U23 player award. He notched 20 goals in 66 appearances for his former club before signing a contract through June 2031.

Yan Diomandé gets his first minutes ahead of Real Sociedad clash

The most expensive signing of Madrid’s summer window, Yan Diomandé, started on the bench despite being tipped to start against Espanyol. The Ivorian international eventually made his official debut in white, entering the fray during the second half.

Real will be back in action on Wednesday, August 26, against Real Sociedad. This rescheduled fixture from the opening matchday, which also involved FC Barcelona, will kick off at 9pm at the Santiago Bernabéu.