Kylian Mbappé had given Real Madrid the lead before halftime, only to see Luka Sučić level for Real Sociedad four minutes later. Then the second half happened. Mbappé added two more goals, Vinícius Júnior got in on the act, and José Mourinho’s side turned a flat 1-1 into a commanding 4-1 win to go top of La Liga after two games. Jude Bellingham, according to goal.com, quietly orchestrated the whole thing with two assists.
Key Moments
- 40′, Mbappé opens the scoring, finishing from a Federico Valverde pass to give Real Madrid the lead going into the break.
- 44′, Luka Sučić pulls Real Sociedad level with a composed finish, sending both teams into halftime at 1-1.
- 60′, Mbappé restores Madrid’s lead, converting a Bellingham assist for his second of the night.
- 68′, Vinícius Júnior makes it 3-1, finishing from a Bellingham through ball to effectively end the contest.
- 80′, Mbappé completes the hat-trick, tapping in after a Vinícius Júnior pass to wrap up a comfortable win.
Tactical Breakdown
For all but about four minutes of this game, Real Madrid were the better team by some distance. They finished with 20 shots to Real Sociedad’s 10, put 11 on target against the visitors’ three, and posted an xG of 3.14 compared to Sociedad’s 0.57. The 4-2-3-1 that Mourinho deployed gave Mbappé a clear central channel to work in, and the forward used it mercilessly once the second half began. Bernardo Silva and Federico Valverde kept the midfield ticking over at 91% pass accuracy across 581 attempts.
The real tactical shift came at halftime. Álvaro Carreras, who had picked up a yellow card as early as the 10th minute for tripping, was withdrawn and replaced by Marc Cucurella at the break. The change shored up the left side and freed Vinícius Júnior to push higher, a decision that paid dividends when the Brazilian set up Mbappé’s third and scored one himself. Mourinho also managed the game smartly late on, pulling Bellingham and Arda Güler at the 78th minute once the result was beyond doubt.
Real Sociedad never looked like getting back into the match after Sučić’s equalizer. Their xG of 0.57 tells the story: Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side created almost nothing of substance in open play, and goalkeeper Álex Remiro’s seven saves were the only reason the scoreline did not get worse. Yangel Herrera was substituted off at 66 minutes after collecting a yellow card, and the visitors’ midfield lost what little structure it had from that point on.
Player Ratings
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Verdict
Real Madrid sit top of La Liga on six points alongside Sevilla and Real Betis, with a goal difference that already flatters them after just two games. For Real Sociedad, two defeats from two and zero points leave them in the relegation zone at the earliest possible stage, and the gap between their xG output (0.57 here, 1 goal scored over two matches) and what the division’s top sides are producing suggests the problems run deeper than a couple of bad results. Mourinho gets his Bernabéu home win in what realmadrid.com described simply as ‘Mbappé’s night.’
Real Madrid
Real Sociedad
Jude Bellingham
Kylian Mbappé