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Jose Mourinho started his second stint with Real Madrid with a 2-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday in their La Liga clash, with Carlos Espi scoring a last-minute winner.
Even while Real Madrid were fine at goal-scoring, their defensive lapses continued to haunt them. The defensive anchor, who could intervene early, cancel out the attack or read the pass that led to a shot inside the box, seems to be lacking for the Spanish giants. It was the reason why Espanyol scored their lone goal. Jude Bellingham struck early in the ninth minute, with Arda Guler whipping an accurate cross, which met Bellingham, and the Englishman wasted no time in heading it home, as per Goal.com. But after that, Espanyol responded well with their attack, starting to threaten goalie Thibaut Courtois. Courtois saved a massive chance in the 26th minute, but in the 30th minute, a strike from Alex Calatrava levelled the scores. Despite not being in the lead, Espanyol looked more troublesome during important moments of the first half. Just when it looked like neither of the teams would get their full three points, a moment of confusion from Espanyol's defence caused Espi to lash home the winner in the 90th minute. Speaking after the win, Mourinho said, as quoted by Real Madrid's official website, that while his side deserved a win, their opponents "did not deserve to lose". "We played, especially in the second half, with great control and pressure. We took many risks, and I think we deserved to win. But a team like Espanyol, defending as they did, counterattacking dangerously, with players pushing themselves to the limit and being very well-organised, it is tough for them to go home with nothing," said the legendary manager. "But I repeat, we deserved the victory. When we talk about the defensive system, there is one thing I cannot overlook: the physical condition of a team. They did not have any players at the World Cup and have been working together for a long time, and you can see it in the way they maintain this intensity of play," he added. Speaking on the number of minutes Bellingham played, admitting that he did not expect him to play for so long, Mourinho said that the team is still missing "minutes and kilometers", both in training and the matches. "That is why I value this victory so much because it was a victory with soul and also from the bench. I always say: a frustrated bench does not help at all. A bench with team spirit, when you have the quality that we have, can help you win. It was a tough match and very important points for us," he added. (ANI)
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