Espanyol secured a 2‑1 victory over Real Madrid at RCDE Stadium, a result that marked José Mourinho’s second match with the white club. His first win, also 2‑1, came on 22 August, a day dedicated to Santa María Reina, giving the team confidence to start the season on a positive note.
The decisive goal came when 21‑year‑old Carlos Espí, former Levante player, entered the field at the 79th minute. Eleven minutes later, he capitalised on a play where Kylian Mbappé lost the ball and Marko Dmitrovic could not stop the shot, scoring Espanyol’s second.
The score opened at nine minutes when Jude Bellingham netted for Real Madrid. At 30 minutes, Álex Calatrava equalised, leaving both teams level at half‑time.
During the second half, Vinicius fell inside the area twice, causing a light contact with the opponent. The referee did not award a penalty or issue a yellow card, sparking debate among Real supporters.
After the match, Espanyol’s official X account posted an indirect jab aimed at Vinicius: "¿A partir de cuántas piscinas se saca la segunda amarilla? Es para un amigo." The phrase was taken as a critique of the referee’s lack of sanction.
Real’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois responded to the message, highlighting the lack of reciprocity on social media: "I would love to see all the tweets that teams make against us when they play against others because then other things happen and no tweet is seen… it’s only against us."
Espanyol’s tweet, posted on X, sparked immediate debate, while Real Madrid remained silent, focusing on defending their league position.
