Mourinho praises Madrid's 'spirit and shirts'

Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, the head coach of Real Madrid, insisted that his side deserved their 2-1 victory over Espanyol on Saturday evening in the second round of La Liga, emphasizing that the win was achieved thanks to the players’ spirit and the strong contribution from the substitutes.

Mourinho’s new beginning nearly mirrored his old one from 16 years ago, when he drew 0-0 in his first La Liga match against hosts Real Mallorca. However, young substitute Carlos Espin scored the winning goal in the first minute of stoppage time.

Englishman Jude Bellingham had opened the scoring after nine minutes, but Alex Kalatraf equalized in the 30th minute.

The club’s official website quoted Mourinho as saying, “I think we deserved the win, but Espanyol did not deserve to lose. We dominated and imposed strong pressure, especially in the second half. We took many risks, and I believe we deserved the victory.”

Mourinho praised the spirit shown by Real Madrid’s players, stating, “I value this win greatly because it was a victory of spirit, and also thanks to the substitutes. I always say that frustrating benches do not help at all. But substitutes who have team spirit, combined with the quality we possess, can help you win. It was a difficult match, and these are very important points for us.”

Mourinho also addressed the difficulties faced by Vinicius Junior against opponents, saying, “Vinicius is not a saint, but what is done to him is exaggerated. It starts from the first minute. I think there is a pattern that repeats from one opponent to another. One player commits a foul against him, then another player does the same.”

He added, “This is frustrating for him, and he needs to exercise a great deal of emotional control. I spoke to him at halftime and told him in detail that if he scores a goal, he must be careful with his celebration to ensure he stays on the pitch. It is difficult.”

Mourinho praised young striker Carlos Espin, confirming that he represents the type of player Real Madrid needs in such matches.

Meanwhile, Sevilla defeated visitors Athletic Bilbao 3-1, securing their second consecutive win at the top of the table.

Both teams played their first league match of the season amid a gradual start to the campaign, which spanned 12 days.