After the narrow 2-1 away win at Espanyol, José Mourinho’s side produced a much more assured display in their first home appearance of the season at the Santiago Bernabéu. Real now have six points from their opening two matches and have made an impressive start to the new campaign. For Mourinho, it was also his first home game in the Bernabéu dugout as Real Madrid coach in more than 13 years.
Mbappé puts Real Madrid on course
The hosts needed some time to take control of the game. Real Sociedad were well organised defensively and caused Madrid problems, particularly when Mourinho’s side tried to press.
Nevertheless, Real took the lead five minutes before half-time. Federico Valverde released Mbappé, who worked his way into the box and finished superbly to make it 1-0.
The advantage did not last long. Former Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Luka Sučić equalised in the 44th minute, sending the teams into the break level at 1-1. Mourinho responded to the issues of the first half with tactical adjustments, and Madrid looked far more forceful after the restart.
In the 60th minute, Mbappé combined with Bellingham to break through the visitors’ defence and restore Real’s lead. Just eight minutes later, it was 3-1: Bellingham won possession and set up Vinícius Júnior, who effectively put the game beyond Sociedad.
Mbappé then completed the scoring in the 80th minute. Vinícius provided the pass and the Frenchman converted to seal his hat-trick. Brahim Díaz thought he had added a fifth late on, but the goal was ruled out for offside in the build-up.
Only 51 per cent possession, but a huge advantage in chances
The statistics underline just how convincing Madrid’s victory was. They had only 51 per cent possession, barely more than Real Sociedad, but the difference in both the quantity and quality of chances was substantial.
Madrid registered 20 attempts, 11 of them on target. Sociedad managed 10 shots, with only three testing Thibaut Courtois. The expected-goals figures were even more revealing: Real finished on 3.14 xG compared with just 0.57 for the visitors. Sociedad goalkeeper Álex Remiro made seven saves to prevent an even heavier defeat.
Mourinho again set his team up in a 4-2-3-1. Bernardo Silva operated alongside Valverde in central midfield and regularly dropped deeper to help build play from the back. Denzel Dumfries provided width on the right, while Arda Güler repeatedly moved into central areas. From there, Madrid were able to attack quickly after regaining possession and make use of the pace of Mbappé and Vinícius.
Before the break, Real struggled to execute their pressing structure cleanly. Mourinho made adjustments at half-time, and Madrid controlled the game far more effectively in the second half.
Mbappé takes centre stage
Mbappé was unquestionably the main attraction. The 27-year-old had failed to score in the 2-1 win over Espanyol but was far more clinical in his first home appearance of the season.
His positioning was also notable. Rather than constantly dropping deep into midfield, Mbappé spent more time in dangerous central areas and occupied the centre-backs more like a traditional striker. At the same time, he remained mobile enough to combine quickly with Bellingham and Vinícius.
Mourinho was suitably impressed afterwards and described Mbappé as “absolutely incredible”. The Portuguese coach highlighted the French superstar’s determination to make history with Real Madrid and also praised the composure of his team after a difficult first half.
With two wins from their opening two league games, Madrid’s early-season outlook is already encouraging. In particular, the second-half performance against Real Sociedad offered a glimpse of the attacking potential Mourinho’s reshaped side could develop.
