Kylian Mbappe delivered a commanding performance at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring a brilliant hat-trick to lead Real Madrid to a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad. The match served as Jose Mourinho’s first home game since returning as head coach, with the Portuguese manager opting for the same starting lineup that secured a late 2-1 win against Espanyol last Saturday.
Mourinho has previously noted the challenge of balancing the team’s top three attacking talents, and this performance suggested significant progress. The match began with an open tempo, featuring early attempts from Vinicius Junior and Mbappe, while Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced into a sharp save to deny Mikel Oyarzabal. Real Sociedad’s Sergio Gomez also threatened with a volley that narrowly missed the far post.
The deadlock was broken five minutes before halftime when Federico Valverde set up Mbappe. The French forward, who has led La Liga in scoring for two consecutive seasons, maneuvered past his marker to bury a shot into the top corner. However, Real Sociedad responded before the interval; after a scramble in the box, Luka Sucic capitalized on a deflection off Alvaro Carreras to equalize.
Real Madrid regained control in the second half. Following an early chance for Mbappe saved by Alex Remiro, the striker restored the lead by calmly stroking home a pass orchestrated by Valverde and Jude Bellingham. The third goal arrived shortly after, with Vinicius Junior tapping in from close range after Bellingham displayed immense tenacity to recover the ball inside the penalty area.
Mbappe completed his hat-trick with a sophisticated dink over Remiro, set up by a perfectly weighted pass from Vinicius. The Brazilian forward, who recently signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until 2032, appeared in high spirits throughout the match. He was eventually substituted for record signing Yan Diomande with seven minutes remaining, sharing an embrace with Mourinho as he left the pitch.
The atmosphere was a stark contrast to the previous season, when tensions flared during a Clasico victory over Barcelona in October. With this result, Madrid maintains a perfect record of two wins from two matches. Meanwhile, the league action continues on Thursday as Spanish champions Barcelona prepare to host Athletic Bilbao, with new signing Rodri expected to make his debut off the bench for Hansi Flick’s squad. The report also notes that with Vinicius Junior also on the scoresheet, while Jude Bellingham provided two assists as the star trio picked apart their Basque visitors, mourinho’s Madrid made it two wins from two. The report also notes that and this match suggested he is on the right track, mourinho had said it would be tricky but not impossible to get the team’s three biggest names all at their best. The report also notes that however, Los Blancos could not survive to the break without conceding the equaliser against last season’s Copa del Rey winners. The report also notes that whom Remiro denied early in the second half, but the Spanish goalkeeper could do nothing about the former Paris Saint-Germain star’s next effort, arda Guler played in Mbappe.
