Kylian Mbappé scored a second-half hat-trick as Real Madrid defeated Real Sociedad 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in LaLiga EA Sports on Wednesday night.
The victory gave manager José Mourinho a second consecutive league win to start his return to the club, following an opening match victory over RCD Espanyol. Real Madrid moved to six points from two games, while Real Sociedad remained without a point after two away matches.
Before kickoff, newly signed defender Marc Cucurella presented the FIFA World Cup trophy on the pitch following Spain's tournament victory on July 19. Cucurella invited Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal to join him in the ceremony before the trophy travelled onward to Barcelona.
Mourinho named an unchanged starting line-up from the 2-1 win at Espanyol, keeping Álvaro Carreras at left-back ahead of Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries at right-back over Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Ibrahima Konaté in central defence. Arda Güler started on the right flank, Jude Bellingham played behind the forwards, and Bernardo Silva joined Fede Valverde in midfield behind Mbappé and Vinicius Junior.
Real Sociedad manager Pellegrino Matarazzo selected Oyarzabal to lead the attack while placing Orri Óskarsson, Ander Barrenetxea, Igor Zubeldia, and Carlos Soler on the bench after all four had started their opening 1-0 loss to Real Betis at La Cartuja. Before the match, club president Florentino Pérez greeted the Real Madrid players individually upon arrival at the stadium, speaking briefly with Vinicius Junior.
The host side entered the fixture having conceded at least one goal in eight consecutive LaLiga matches under Mourinho, representing the manager's longest run without a clean sheet at the club. Real Madrid were also without Aurelien Tchouameni, who required up to two more weeks of recovery after the World Cup, while Rodrygo Goes missed out through injury after sending a supportive message to Mourinho online.
First Half Exchanges and Equaliser
Real Madrid opened with high pressure from the first minute, seeing an early protest for a foul on Bellingham outside the penalty area turned down when the referee played advantage. Vinicius Junior sent an early shot wide before setting up Mbappé in the sixth minute, though Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro saved the Frenchman's effort.
Real Sociedad established possession as the half progressed, with Oyarzabal testing Thibaut Courtois in the tenth minute following a yellow card for Carreras after a challenge on Take Kubo. Vinicius Junior required brief treatment in the 17th minute after slipping onto the artificial turf surrounding the pitch following a tackle by Jon Aramburu.
Valverde intercepted a pass in the 21st minute and set up Mbappé, who fed Vinicius Junior for a shot that Remiro turned away. Frustration grew in the Bernabéu in the 30th minute when Kubo fell under pressure from Mbappé without contact to his face, prompting whistles from the crowd that quickly shifted to applause to encourage the home side.
Yangel Herrera received a yellow card in the 31st minute for repeated fouls on Bellingham before Real Sociedad went close in the 35th minute when Sergio Gómez volleyed narrowly wide from an Oyarzabal cross. Remiro comfortably caught a central shot from Mbappé two minutes later.
Real Madrid took the lead in the 40th minute when Valverde surged through the middle and passed to Mbappé inside the penalty box. The French forward turned past his defender and struck a shot into the top corner of Remiro's net to open the scoring.
Real Sociedad equalised four minutes later when a long ball reached Ochieng, who was covered by Konaté. Ochieng's blocked shot broke to Luka Sucic, who pushed the rebound into the net past Courtois to send the teams into half-time level at 1-1.
Second Half Dominance and Mbappé Hat-Trick
Mourinho introduced Cucurella at half-time in place of Carreras, who had been booked in the first half, marking Cucurella's home debut for Real Madrid. The hosts attacked immediately, with Remiro saving from Mbappé after Güler played him through in the 46th minute.
Real Sociedad made two substitutions in the 57th minute, bringing on Zubeldia for the booked Aramburu and Óskarsson for Oyarzabal, who received applause from the Bernabéu crowd as he left the field. Two minutes later, Real Madrid restored their lead when Mbappé exchanged a rapid one-two with Bellingham before slotting a low finish past Remiro for his second goal of the night.
Matarazzo made further changes in the 66th minute, replacing Yangel Herrera and Ochieng with Carlos Soler and Barrenetxea. Real Madrid extended their lead to 3-1 in the 68th minute after Konaté pressed high to win back possession. Bellingham gathered the ball outside the area, saw two shot attempts blocked, recovered the ball inside the box, and passed across to Vinicius Junior to finish into an empty net.
Following the goal, Bellingham instructed Vinicius Junior to track back defensively, applauding the Brazilian when he sprinted back to assist the defence. Beitia and Konaté both received yellow cards in quick succession for stopping counter-attacks before Guedes replaced Kubo in the 73rd minute.
Konaté blocked an effort from Óskarsson in the 75th minute before Courtois tipped a long-range strike from Sucic around the post. Mourinho then replaced Bellingham, who received a standing ovation, with Brahim Díaz, while Eduardo Camavinga replaced Güler.
Mbappé completed his hat-trick in the 79th minute when Vinicius Junior delivered a precise pass into the area, allowing the striker to chip the ball over Remiro. The hat-trick was Mbappé's sixth for Real Madrid in all competitions, double the tally of any other LaLiga player since his arrival, bringing his total involvement to 100 goals in 105 matches for the club.
Yan Diomande made his home debut in the 84th minute, replacing Vinicius Junior to a standing ovation and an embrace from Mourinho, before Carlos Espí replaced Bernardo Silva in the 86th minute. Diomande created a late chance by beating Barrenetxea on the baseline, while a late goal from Brahim Díaz was ruled out for offside against Espí before Camavinga received a late yellow card for a foul on Guedes.
Post-Match Reactions and Manager Analysis
Speaking after the match, Mourinho said he was pleased with the six points from two games despite a demanding start to the season. He noted that while some squad members had completed 39 training sessions, others like Bellingham and Cucurella had only completed six or seven, adding that he could not ask for more effort from his players.
Mourinho praised the team's composure during difficult periods of the match, explaining that the Bernabéu crowd's high expectations were a natural consequence of the club's history. He admitted that Real Madrid struggled to press effectively in the first half and could not adjust tactical details until half-time due to the absence of a hydration break.
The manager described Mbappé as an incredible player with immense hunger to make history at Real Madrid, stating he preferred the forward to score 40 goals while contributing to team success and titles rather than scoring 60 individual goals without trophies.
Real Sociedad manager Matarazzo acknowledged that his side performed well in the first half but said the third goal caused significant damage. He noted that his team suffered from fatigue in the second half, losing their pressing intensity and retaining possession in their own half without creating depth.
Cucurella called the evening a perfect night, expressing gratitude for presenting the World Cup trophy at the stadium and noting that Mbappé makes the team vastly more dangerous when in peak form. He also mentioned that he had recently moved to Madrid and built a close relationship with young striker Espí while staying at Valdebebas.
Real Sociedad captain Oyarzabal admitted that playing at the Bernabéu required a full 90-minute performance, acknowledging that despite a competitive first half, his team conceded too many chances after the break.
Off the pitch, Real Sociedad reached a verbal agreement to sign Barcelona defender Héctor Fort and agreed a loan deal without a purchase option for Chelsea's 20-year-old centre-back Mamadou Sarr. Meanwhile, Madrid's young forward Espí generated widespread attention following his winner against Espanyol, becoming the most searched Spanish entry on Wikipedia on Saturday with 53,001 visits.
