Victory against Espanyol in the opening league match

Real Madrid earned their first three points in the opening match of the 2026/27 League. The team, led by Mourinho, defeated Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium in a game where Bellingham put our team ahead just minutes after the opening whistle, and the hosts equalized before halftime. Carlos Espí, in the dying moments of the match, sealed the victory for the madridistas. Dumfries, Konaté, and Bernardo started the game, while Cucurella, Yan Diomande, and the match-winning goalscorer made their official debuts for our team.

Our team started the game strong and took the lead in the 9th minute. From a set piece, Arda Güler delivered a fantastic cross into the box, and Bellingham capitalized to make it 0-1 with a header. Six minutes later, Mbappé attempted to extend the lead with a right-footed strike from the edge of the box, but Dmitrović saved it. The madridistas displayed defensive solidarity to block Espanyol’s advances. Despite this, the hosts had a double chance in the 25th minute when, first, Courtois saved Riedel's shot, and then Roberto’s follow-up narrowly grazed the crossbar.

Espanyol equalizes
Espanyol changed the momentum of the game, and half an hour in, Cala equalized with a left-footed strike in the box from a Javi Hernández cross. Mbappé responded with two opportunities inside the box—one from the left side and the other from the right—that the opposing goalkeeper deflected (33’ and 38’). Just before halftime, Dumfries appealed for a penalty after being held by El Hilali in the box following a corner, but the referee did not award it.

Carlos Espí scores the winning goal
After the break, Bellingham almost replicated his earlier goal with another header from an Arda Güler cross, but Dmitrović and the crossbar denied him the 1-2 lead (51’). In the 78th minute, Valverde came close to scoring the second with a well-placed right-footed shot from the edge of the box that struck the post. Our team’s persistence paid off in added time. Diomande passed to Mbappé, who advanced into the box, but the defense managed to dispossess him, and Carlos Espí cleverly pounced on the loose ball to beat Dmitrović and secure three points for Mourinho’s side in their league debut.

Enjoy all the videos of this match on RM Play

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.