Result and context
On August 22, Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-1 at RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, marking the first win of José Mourinho’s second stint in LaLiga. The Merengues opened the scoring with a goal from Jude Bellingham at 9 minutes, while Alex Calatrava equalised at 30. The decisive goal came at minute 90, when 21-year-old Carlos Espí, a former Levante player, entered at the 79th minute and scored 11 minutes later after a play where Kylian Mbappé lost the ball and struck to beat Marko Dmitrovic.
Espanyol’s indirect jab
From its official X account, Espanyol fired an indirect jab at Vinicius, who fell inside the area twice without receiving a yellow card. The post read: "¿A partir de cuántas piscinas se saca la segunda amarilla? Es para un amigo". The message did not mention a penalty, but implied the player should have been sanctioned.
Courtois’s reaction
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois replied to the post: "I would like to see all the tweets teams make against us when they play other teams because later other things happen and no tweet is seen… it’s only against us." Courtois suggested the comment should apply to teams that compete against Real Madrid in any match.
Match details
- Date: August 22
- Venue: RCDE Stadium, Barcelona
- Result: Real Madrid 2 - 1 Espanyol
- Goals: Jude Bellingham (9'), Alex Calatrava (30'), Carlos Espí (90')
- Key players: Carlos Espí (21, former Levante), Vinicius (fell twice in the area), Thibaut Courtois (goalkeeper)
- X comment: "¿A partir de cuántas piscinas se saca la segunda amarilla? Es para un amigo"
- Courtois’s reply: "…only against us"
Implications
The match marked the start of Mourinho’s second stint with Real Madrid, and Espanyol’s indirect jab sparked controversy over in-field discipline. Courtois’s response highlighted the perception that teams tend to criticize Real Madrid when playing against them, but not when competing against other clubs.
