Jose Mourinho felt Real Madrid's season-opening win over Espanyol came from the soul, noting many of Los Blancos' players were at a physical disadvantage after the World Cup.
Madrid's victory over Espanyol came from the soul, says Mourinho
Despite many of their players having shortened pre-seasons after the World Cup, Real Madrid battled to a 2-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday.
Madrid got their LaLiga campaign under way on Saturday after being given an extended break following FIFA's flagship tournament, and they left it late to snatch the points.
Jude Bellingham put Los Blancos ahead after nine minutes, but Cala equalised for Espanyol on the half-hour mark, and they then frustrated Madrid until the 90th minute.
However, new signing Carlos Espi pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area to score the winner, as Madrid were victorious in their first game under Mourinho since 2013, following his return to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
Three of Madrid's starters – Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Thibaut Courtois – reached at least the quarter-finals of the World Cup, while Marc Cucurella, a member of the victorious Spain team, came off the bench to make his competitive debut for the club.
And when asked about the difficult nature of Saturday's game, Mourinho said: "You can't ignore the physical condition of the team.
"They didn't have anyone in the World Cup and they've been working together for a long time, and you could see that in their intensity.
"I didn't expect Jude to be able to play for so long. When it comes to pushing the way I like to, we lack minutes and kilometres in the legs.
"That's why I value this victory very much, it's a victory with soul, also from the bench. A frustrated bench doesn't help at all, but a bench with a team feeling helps you win. It was a difficult match, and they are three very important points."
Madrid put up 2.92 expected goals to Espanyol's 1.12 xG, and Mourinho felt his side deserved to take all three points – even if the defeat was hard on Espanyol.
"I think we deserved to win, but Espanyol didn't deserve to lose," he said. "In the second half, we had great control and great pressure, we took a lot of risks. We deserved to win.
"But a team that plays like Espanyol, that defends like that and that comes out like that, on the counter-attack, with the players playing at the limit, with good organisation... It will be hard for them to go home with nothing. But we deserved it."
Mourinho was frustrated by the reception Vinicius Junior received from the home fans at the RCDE Stadium, though, with the Brazilian being booed throughout – including when he went down easily while already on a yellow card and Espanyol's players appealed for a second booking.
"I have the risk that you will go months back to find my words from when I was Vini's opponent. But now, Vini is my player," Mourinho said.
"He is not a saint, but what they do to him is too much. From the first minute, it is as if they have already decided. It's a big frustration for him; he must have a lot of emotional control.
"I have even told him that if he scores, he should be careful how he celebrates. We are in a social era of anti-bullying, but with Vini, we are still in the era of bullying."
Madrid face a quick turnaround ahead of their second LaLiga fixture, at home to Real Sociedad on Wednesday, before Malaga visit the Spanish capital next Sunday.
