MOURINHO WINS REAL MADRID DEBUT AS ESPI SCORES 90TH-MINUTE WINNER

José Mourinho's second spell as Real Madrid manager began with a 2-1 victory against Espanyol, with Carlos Espi scoring in the 90th minute to secure the win. Jude Bellingham headed Real Madrid into the lead in the ninth minute from Arda Guler's free-kick. Espanyol equalised in the 30th minute when Cala tapped in Javi Hernandez's cut-back. Mourinho introduced several new signings from the bench, including Espi, Marc Cucurella, Yan Diomande and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Diomande found Kylian Mbappe inside the box in the final minute before the ball fell to Espi, who finished to secure all three points.

Real Madrid dominated much of the match but Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic made saves to keep the score level. Bellingham's header was pushed onto the bar, whilst Federico Valverde's attempt struck the base of the post. Espi joined Real Madrid from Levante for £21 million, whilst Yan Diomande arrived from RB Leipzig in a deal worth up to £120 million, making him the club's record signing. Mourinho returned to Real Madrid in July on a three-year contract. The 63-year-old Portuguese manager also handed competitive debuts to Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate and Bernardo Silva.

Mourinho's first spell at Real Madrid lasted three seasons from 2010 and saw him win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. Real Madrid had gone two seasons without winning a major trophy before his return. The club parted ways with Xabi Alonso in January, with Alvaro Arbeloa taking charge on an interim basis for the remainder of the previous campaign. Mourinho has now won 26 major trophies across his career, including three Premier League titles with Chelsea and Champions League triumphs with Porto and Inter Milan.