Real Madrid Kicks Off La Liga Season with Victory Over Espanyol
Real Madrid launched their 2026/27 La Liga season on Saturday (22) with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Espanyol in an away match.
Bellingham opened the scoring for the Merengues, followed by Carlos Espí’s goal in the dying moments of the match, while Calatrava managed to net one for the Catalans.
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Following the game, coach José Mourinho held a press conference where he defended Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior, who faced significant hostility from opposing fans, including heavy booing and repeated fouls during the match.
The seasoned Portuguese manager, now 63, remarked that while the forward “is no saint,” he spoke out against the concerted efforts targeting the No. 7 player. He stated, “I run the risk of people digging up things I said months ago, when I was Vini’s opponent. But now Vini is mine. He is no saint, but what they do to him is too much.”
Mourinho added, “From the very first minute, it seems like there’s already a script: ‘now I hit him, now you hit him, one goes out with a yellow card, another comes on without one…’ It’s a huge frustration for him, and it takes a lot of mental control. I even told him that if he scores, he should be careful about how he celebrates. We live in an era of fighting bullying, but with Vini, we’re still in the bullying era.”
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On social media, Vinícius Júnior shared a video that depicted Calatrava kicking him, captioning it with “Card for Vini 🫡.”
(In a related incident, which occurred in the 32nd minute, the referee handed yellow cards to both Calatrava and Vinícius Júnior).
In response to an Espanyol tweet that criticized the officiating, Real Madrid’s goalkeeper and captain, Thibaut Courtois, did not hold back. He asserted, “Calatrava should have been sent off earlier, whether for the kick on Vini Jr. or for the foul on Carreras when he was already on a yellow card. As for Espanyol’s tweet, you should look in the mirror before talking about others. It’s easy to judge things only from your own point of view.”
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
Real Madrid’s 2026/27 La Liga season got underway this Saturday (22) with a 2-1 win away to Espanyol.
The Merengues’ goals were scored by Bellingham and Carlos Espí, the latter in the closing minutes, while Calatrava pulled one back for the Catalans.
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After the match, coach José Mourinho spoke at a press conference and came to the defense of Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior, who was targeted by the opposing fans with heavy boos and “hunted” on the pitch with repeated fouls.
The experienced 63-year-old Portuguese coach acknowledged that the forward “is no saint,” but also called out the “script” of fouls against the No. 7.
“I run the risk of people digging up things I said months ago, when I was Vini’s opponent. But now Vini is mine. He is no saint, but what they do to him is too much,” Mourinho said, before adding:
“From the very first minute, it seems like there’s already a script: ‘now I hit him, now you hit him, one goes out with a yellow card, another comes on without one…’ It’s a huge frustration for him, and it takes a lot of mental control. I even told him that if he scores, he should be careful about how he celebrates. We live in an era of fighting bullying, but with Vini, we’re still in the bullying era.”
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On social media, Vini Jr reposted a video showing Espanyol’s Calatrava kicking him and commented: “Card for Vini 🫡”.
(In the incident below, which happened in the 32nd minute, the referee showed a yellow card to both Calatrava and Vini Jr).
One of Real Madrid’s captains, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, was asked about an Espanyol tweet complaining about the refereeing and did not hold back.
“Calatrava should have been sent off earlier, whether for the kick on Vini Jr. or for the foul on Carreras when he was already on a yellow card. As for Espanyol’s tweet, you should look in the mirror before talking about others. It’s easy to judge things only from your own point of view.”
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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