Real Madrid’s win over Espanyol
Real Madrid kicked off the 2026‑27 season with a 2‑1 victory against Espanyol. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring with a header from a precise pass by Arda Güler. In the 90th minute, Carlos Espí, who had come on in the second half, netted the decisive goal to seal the win.
Bellingham’s comments
After the match, Bellingham praised the reaction of the squad under José Mourinho and said the triumph showcased the mentality the team must carry throughout the campaign. “We played a very good game, we created many chances to score the second, but that was a mentality win; Carlos from the bench scores a goal like Joselu Junior, right? And well, we started like that,” he said.
Comparison with Joselu
The midfielder referenced Joselu, who in the 2023‑24 season, during his loan at Real Madrid, played 49 matches and scored 18 goals. Joselu won the fans’ affection with his performance in the Champions League semi‑final against Bayern Munich, where he came on from the bench and scored both goals that allowed Real Madrid to overturn the tie and reach the final.
Team unity
Bellingham also highlighted the team’s unity as one of the main positive aspects of the Madrid debut. “We’re together in everything. For me it’s the most important thing in football. Being together in all moments, whether it’s hard or good, always together, that’s important,” he said.
Goal preparation
Finally, Bellingham explained that the first‑goal play was something the team had worked on during the week’s training, as Mourinho had explained beforehand. “Yes, we worked that in training this week, very good Arda ball, the other players’ movements, creating space for me and, well, it was an easy goal, right?” he added.
Impact on the season
With the win, Real Madrid positions itself as one of the strongest contenders in the league, while Espanyol will need to analyze the defeat to improve in upcoming matches.
