Just 30 minutes after the final whistle dropped at the Santiago Bernabeu, La Liga fans are still buzzing from a masterclass performance that delivered Jose Mourinho his first home victory since returning to Real Madrid’s dugout. The headline act on the night? French superstar Kylian Mbappe, who bagged a stunning hat-trick to anchor the Los Blancos to a dominant 4-1 thrashing of Copa del Rey holders Real Sociedad, extending their perfect start to the new campaign with two wins from two opening matches.
Mourinho made a bold call ahead of kickoff, sticking with the exact starting XI that earned a dramatic late 2-1 away win over Espanyol in his first match in charge last weekend. The Portuguese veteran had previously acknowledged that getting his three global superstars — Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham — firing at full capacity at the same time would be a tricky challenge, but not an impossible one. Saturday’s fixture proved he is already moving in the right direction, as the star trio combined to tear apart the Basque visitors, with Bellingham notching two assists and Vinicius adding a fourth goal to wrap up the result.
The opening 40 minutes of the match was a tightly contested end-to-end affair, with both sides creating clear-cut chances. Vinicius fired over the crossbar early on, while Real Sociedad keeper Alex Remiro made a sharp low save to deny Mbappe at his near post. At the opposite end, Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois pulled off a brilliant reflex stop to keep out Mikel Oyarzabal, and Sociedad’s Sergio Gomez sent a flying volley just inches wide of the far post.
The breakthrough finally came five minutes before halftime, when Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde threaded a perfect through ball to Mbappe. The two-time defending La Liga top scorer took a clever first touch to shake off his marker before burying a blistering strike into the top corner, opening his goal account for the new campaign.
Real Madrid could not hold onto their lead through to halftime, however. A misplaced turnover from Job Ochieng led to a blocked shot that fell kindly into the path of Luka Sucic, who fired home the equaliser via a deflection off Alvaro Carreras, sending the sides into the break level at 1-1.
After the interval, Valverde revealed after the match that Madrid adjusted their pressing strategy, and the tweak immediately paid dividends. Early in the second half, Remiro pulled off another save to deny Mbappe after a clever pass from Arda Guler, but he could do nothing to stop the Frenchman’s second strike. A smooth build-up between Valverde and Bellingham ended with Bellingham playing Mbappe through on goal, and the former Paris Saint-Germain forward calmly slotted home to restore Madrid’s lead.
Madrid’s third goal came from Vinicius, who had been relatively quiet for most of the match until that point, and it was Bellingham’s tenacity that created the chance. The English midfielder’s initial shot was blocked, but he fought to win back possession in the penalty area before squaring the ball for an unmarked Vinicius to tap into an empty net.
Buoyed by his goal, Vinicius turned provider for Mbappe’s third just minutes later, playing a perfectly weighted through ball that put the striker one-on-one with Remiro. Mbappe lifted a delicate chip over the onrushing keeper that bounced into the net, capping his hat-trick with what many observers are already calling the goal of the match.
In a small moment that carried bigger off-pitch significance, Vinicius was substituted with seven minutes left to play for new signing Yan Diomande, and he left the pitch all smiles while embracing Mourinho. That stands in stark contrast to last season, when the Brazilian forward openly showed anger after being substituted by former coach Xabi Alonso during a Clasico win over Barcelona in October. The 2024-25 season already looks different for Vinicius, who recently signed a contract extension with Real Madrid keeping him at the club until 2032.
After the final whistle, Mourinho was full of praise for his side and for Mbappe in particular. “This guy is incredible,” he said of the French forward. “I see him really hungry to make history with Real Madrid, and I see a team where, despite Kylian being Kylian, it’s hard for me not to talk about the team.”
The Portuguese coach added that he was happy with every aspect of his side’s performance, even the patchy first half. “I liked everything, and you might tell me the second half was good and the first half wasn’t, but I liked the team even when it wasn’t good,” he said. “I’m really happy that the players ended up content, winning at home, smiling, and tomorrow — training — because on Sunday comes Malaga.”
Valverde echoed his coach’s praise for Mbappe, telling Real Madrid TV after the match: “It’s spectacular, incredible (to have Mbappe), we have to enjoy Mbappe and make the most of him as possible. We have to give him a thousand balls so he is comfortable, he can score goals, and he’s happy.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the matchweek, Spanish champions Barcelona will host Athletic Bilbao on Thursday, with new high-profile signing Rodri expected to make his debut from the bench under new manager Hansi Flick.