Real Madrid's José Mourinho defends Vinícius Júnior from 'bullying' - ESPN

BARCELONA, Spain — Returning Real Madrid coach José Mourinho has defended Vinícius Júnior, saying the Brazilian star is bullied after he clashed with Espanyol players and the crowd during Madrid's 2-1 LaLiga win Saturday.

Jude Bellingham's header put Madrid ahead in the ninth minute at the RCDE Stadium, but Álex Calatrava leveled for the hosts before halftime.

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Visitors Madrid pushed for a winner but had to wait until the 90th minute, when substitute Carlos Espí pounced with a smart finish inside the six-yard box to give Mourinho's team all three points.

Vinícius appeared to be fouled by Calatrava in the game's opening stages — with no punishment for the Espanyol player — and later received a yellow card for a dispute with the same player.

«Vini isn't a saint, but what people do to him is too much,» Mourinho said in his postmatch news conference. «It started in the first minute. It's something that has a format, one opponent after another after another, 'I foul him, then you foul him, if I have a yellow card, you do it ...'

»It's a frustration for him. He has to have great emotional control. I said to [Vini] that even if you score a goal, be careful how you celebrate, to stay on the pitch. It's tough. We're in a social era of anti-bullying, but with Vini, we're still in the bullying era, whether it's from opponents or from the public."

The win came in Mourinho's first game in charge after being hired for a second stint with Madrid some 13 years after he left the club. He