"One half" .. Mourinho explains Real Madrid's performance against Rayo Vallecano

Portuguese coach José Mourinho, the head of Real Madrid, noted that his team achieved its goal by starting the match strongly against Rayo Vallecano and securing an early victory, winning 4-1 in the fifth round of La Liga.

Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring with a penalty in the 14th minute, followed by Álvaro Carreiras adding the second goal three minutes later, and Jude Bellingham increased the Royal team's lead by scoring the third goal in the 35th minute.

Sergio Camilo reduced the deficit for Rayo Vallecano in the 51st minute, before Mbappé capped off Real Madrid's four-goal tally in the first minute of stoppage time, netting his second goal of the match.

Mourinho stated in the post-match press conference: "It was a 45-minute match. It ended there, and there is nothing more to say. I knew the team did not have the physical or mental strength to play the second half at the same level as the first half."

He added: "The best example of what I mean is Jude Bellingham's performance in the last ten minutes. Energy is not just physical; it's mental too. We dropped in focus and sharpness, made mistakes, and lost the ball while building attacks."

He continued: "I expected the match to go this way considering our experience in the Champions League. The goal was to start strong and finish the match quickly, and that was achieved."

The Portuguese coach expressed his happiness with the team's development, saying: "I am happy that we have been working together for three months, even though we have not fully met until the return of the players who participated in the semi-finals and finals of the World Cup."

He added: "You cannot build a near-perfect team in three days, three months, or even three years. What we are doing so far has many positive aspects, and we aim to develop gradually."

Regarding the competition for key positions, Mourinho confirmed that the quality of Real Madrid's squad forces him to make difficult decisions, expecting questions to continue in every match about the participation of some players and the absence of others.