Jude Bellingham put Real ahead in the 9th minute, but Alex Calatrava equalized in the 30th minute.
Finally, it was 21-year-old C. Espi who scored the winning goal in the 90th minute.
“I think we deserved the victory, but Espanyol did not deserve to lose. In the second half, we controlled the game well and applied pressure, taking a lot of risks. We deserved the win. But a team like Espanyol, which defends so well and counterattacks so effectively, whose players try to the limits of their abilities, and is so well organized… It’s hard for them to go home empty-handed. But we deserved the victory,” said J. Mourinho.
He pointed out a very simple circumstance – Espanyol did not have a single player in the World Cup, so the team had trained together for much longer. Meanwhile, the Madrid players still lacked physical readiness and mutual understanding.
He said the team still lacks “minutes and kilometers” to be able to press constantly as J. Mourinho himself would like.
“You cannot ignore the team’s physical condition. They did not have a single player in the World Cup and have been playing together for a long time, which is reflected in their intensity. We lack minutes and kilometers run to reach the intensity I want. That is why I value this victory so much – it is a victory from the heart, also from the bench. An unhappy bench never helps, but a bench breathing team spirit helps to win.”
J. Mourinho admitted that he did not believe Jude would be able to stay on the pitch for so long. The Englishman had less preparation after the World Cup than usual, so his physical condition was a pleasant surprise for the coach.
“I had doubts about whether to start Jude in the starting lineup or bring him on later. I don’t know if I made the right decision, but he is very strong physically and mentally. I hope he will coordinate well with the forwards. He has an eye for goal, he needs to play close to the goal. He can play deeper, but then we lose his ability to drive forward. I like that Jude who, being in excellent physical shape, creates chances. We are still trying to get to know each other, but we are doing it without losing points, and that is important.”
J. Mourinho spoke very positively about the young forward Carlos Espi, who was brought onto the pitch at the end of the match and scored the winning goal just minutes later. The coach highlighted not only his talent but also his team thinking and character.
“He is really a fun guy. We live here in Valdebebas together, have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together – me, my team, him, and Marc Cucurella. Tomorrow (this Sunday) will be his presentation – imagine, he is living a dream. But he does not work as if he lives in a dream world. He works incredibly hard. He has everything needed to score goals, he is a great player. When we saw that Gonzalo Garcia might move to Fulham, we carefully analyzed the situation and are very satisfied with him. In matches like these, we need exactly such a player,” said J. Mourinho.
By the way, J. Mourinho defended Vinicius after the match, saying that the Brazilian is not a “saint,” but what he has to endure on the pitch is “too much.”
It seemed that Calatrava fouled Vinicius at the start of the match – no punishment was given to the Espanyol player for that, and later Vinicius himself received a yellow card for arguing with the same player.
“Vini is not a saint, but what is done to him on the pitch is too much. It started in the first minute. It’s like a script: one opponent after another, ‘I foul him, then you foul him, if I have a yellow card, then you do it…’ It frustrates him. He has to manage his emotions well. I told Vini that even if you score a goal, be careful how you celebrate to stay on the pitch. It’s hard. We live in a society fighting bullying, but in Vini’s case, we are still in the bullying era, whether it’s done by opponents or society,” said J. Mourinho.
The coach was pleased that C. Espi shone while Vinicius is regaining form.
“Espi plays excellently with the first touch. He is a pure forward, very tactically smart, works hard, and dreams of playing for Real. This is exactly the mentality I want from my players. Playing for Real is a different experience, but it is also different for our opponents, and we cannot underestimate that because when they play against us, they are incredibly motivated.”
The Portuguese also asked for understanding from the substitute players:
“The hardest thing is that you start the match with eleven players, but there are twelve on the bench. I cannot change that, I cannot work miracles – I told the players that. We have to fight the frustration that comes from not playing. They have to understand that it hurts me deeply to leave players out. If they don’t try, it’s easier for me. The five players who came onto the pitch did so wanting to help, with a good attitude. That’s how it should be. Even in friendly matches, Real cannot afford not to fight for victory. We will lose matches, hopefully not too many, but Real plays in four tournaments and always has to play seriously. And that is impossible with ten players.”
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