Expi’s stoppage‑time strike hands Real Madrid a 2–1 win as Mourinho erupts on the bench

Real Madrid snatched a 2-1 victory at Espanyol with a stoppage‑time goal from new signing Expi, and Jose Mourinho’s jubilant reaction on the bench quickly went viral.

Mourinho had pushed for the forward’s signing and rewarded him with late minutes

The match, played as the opening fixture of the new La Liga season, provided a dramatic finish: Expi — a striker who arrived this summer after spells at Levante — came off the bench and struck in the final moments to decide the game.

Mourinho, back at the club this summer as Real’s head coach, was visibly overwhelmed when the ball hit the net; clips shared across social media captured him celebrating as if it were a major final. The reaction has been widely shared and discussed online.

Club sources say Mourinho personally insisted on bringing Expi to the squad and that the forward was the only incoming player with whom the coach had direct contact. The manager has used Expi sparingly so far, assigning him the role of a backup striker, but the substitute’s decisive strike should increase his minutes in the weeks ahead.

Asked about the transfer and the performance, Mourinho highlighted the player’s integration at the club: "Expi is a great person! We live together at Valdebebas; we have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same table — me, my coaching staff, him and Cucurella. The man literally lives his dream, but he works like hell. When we saw that Gonzalo could go to Fulham, we analyzed it well. We gained a pure striker who works exceptionally well tactically and we needed such a player in this kind of match."

Earlier Mourinho had also noted that while Real deserved the win, Espanyol had not deserved to lose — a comment that underlined how tight and competitive the encounter had been despite the dramatic finale.

Photo: x.com\/realmadriden