Bellingham opened Mourinho’s new era with a goal and the MVP award against Espanyol
Carlos Espí became the hero of the final minutes, but the match MVP award went to Jude Bellingham. The Englishman scored Real Madrid’s first goal of José Mourinho’s second spell, came close to completing a brace and remained the visitors’ most consistent threat for much of the evening.
Real Madrid began aggressively at the RCDE Stadium and needed only nine minutes to take the lead. Vinícius Júnior won a free kick, Arda Güler delivered an excellent cross and Bellingham rose above the defence to guide his header inside the near post.
It was his eighth headed goal for Real Madrid. That is a respectable total for a midfielder who spent considerable time last season being moved farther away from the penalty area, the place where he causes the greatest damage.
Mourinho deployed Bellingham in an advanced role and allowed him to attack open spaces. He exchanged positions with Güler, dropped towards the ball and immediately moved forward again after releasing it. He does not always need a long possession to influence an attack. Sometimes one run between two defenders is enough.
Bellingham nearly scored again in the second half. He reached another Güler delivery and produced a powerful header, but Marko Dmitrović made an excellent one-handed save and pushed the ball against the crossbar.
His influence was not limited to the penalty area. Bellingham remained composed under pressure, contributed defensively and completed all six of his attempted long passes. Together with Güler, he gave Madrid rhythm while Vinícius and Kylian Mbappé continued searching for sharpness following their late returns from the World Cup. Reuters identified the pair as the source of Madrid’s brightest football in the first half.
Espanyol equalised in the 30th minute. Javi Hernández entered the area and pulled the ball back for the unmarked Álex Calatrava, who finished beyond Thibaut Courtois. Madrid gradually lost their early fluency, forcing Mourinho to search for an answer on the bench.
Bellingham was replaced by Carlos Espí in the 80th minute. Ten minutes later, the debutant reacted quickest to a loose ball following Mbappé’s run, beat Dmitrović and scored the winner. Madrid left the RCDE Stadium with a 2–1 victory and Mourinho left with three points instead of an immediate collection of crisis questions.
Espí decided the match, but Bellingham deservedly collected the MVP award. He scored, nearly added another and influenced the game with and without the ball. Mourinho also received a simple instruction manual for his midfielder: the closer Jude is to the goal, the less comfortable the opposition becomes.
