"A terrible game, but Real found a way to win": Madrid celebrates - and crowns a new hero
The Blancos looked far from their peak, but a goal by Carlos Aspi in the 90th minute secured a 1:2 win over Espanyol in the Portuguese manager's return debut. Fans were enthusiastic about the winning mentality: "Mourinho's dark magic is back."
This is not how they imagined the start of the 2026/27 season at Real Madrid, but it is doubtful that Jose Mourinho could have asked for an ending that suited him better. The Blancos struggled on Saturday away against Espanyol, lost an early lead, and looked on their way to dropping points in the Portuguese manager's first official match of his return — until substitute Carlos Aspi scored in the 90th minute and gave them a dramatic 1:2 victory.
On social media, people were quick to recall Mourinho's ability to win even in games where his teams are far from brilliant. "Mourinho and Real's dark magic has already begun," wrote one fan, while others declared that "Mourinho-ball is back." Alongside the celebrations, Real fans also admitted that the performance was worrying: "A terrible game by both teams, but Real found a way to win again," was written in one of the comments. Another fan summarized briefly: "I already love Aspi. So clutch."
Many stars made their debut for the Blancos in La Liga yesterday, such as Ousmane Diomande, Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, and Ibrahima Konate, but the one who captured the hearts of the crowd was, of course, Carlos Aspi. The 21-year-old striker, who arrived this summer from Levante, came off the bench just ten minutes before finding the net in his official debut. The move was not particularly brilliant — Kylian Mbappe lost the ball in the box and Aspi pounced on the opportunity — but online he was already defined as "Madrid's new hero."
Mourinho himself praised him at the end:
"Carlos is exactly the type of player we need in games like these."
Jude Bellingham put Real ahead with a header as early as the ninth minute, following a cross from Arda Guler, but Alex Calatrava equalized in the 30th minute. Mbappe and Vinicius, who returned late from their post-World Cup vacation, looked rusty and could not decide the game. "There are players who are not yet in their best shape," admitted Mourinho, who defined the result as "a victory with soul — and a victory of the bench." The Portuguese also came to the defense of Vinicius, who suffered tackles and taunts throughout the game:
"We live in an era where everyone speaks out against bullying, but in Vinicius' case, we are still in the era of bullying. He is not a saint, but what they do to him is excessive."
