Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Jose Mourinho enjoyed a winning return to the Santiago Bernabeu, with Real Madrid beating Real Sociedad in La Liga.
Mourinho, back for his second spell in charge of the Spanish giants, has now won his opening two league games after guiding Madrid to a 2-1 victory away at Espanyol at the weekend.
Real Sociedad proved stubborn opponents for much of Wednesday’s encounter, but Madrid’s attacking quality eventually made the difference, with Mbappe producing three outstanding finishes. Jude Bellingham also played a major role, providing two assists and helping create another goal as Real Madrid eventually pulled clear.
Mbappe Breaks The Deadlock
A packed Bernabeu welcomed Mourinho back to the stadium where he previously enjoyed considerable success. The Portuguese manager led Real Madrid for 178 matches during his first spell, winning 128 of them and securing three domestic trophies.
Real Sociedad, however, showed little interest in simply allowing the occasion to become a celebration for the home side. The visitors defended stubbornly and made life difficult for Madrid’s forwards in the opening stages.
The breakthrough finally arrived five minutes before half-time. Mbappe produced an excellent first touch inside the penalty area to escape his marker before driving a powerful finish beyond the goalkeeper and into the net.
Real Sociedad responded almost immediately. Just four minutes later, a deflected effort fell kindly for Luka Sucic, who made no mistake with the opportunity to bring the visitors level.
Bellingham Brilliance
Madrid needed something special to regain control, and Bellingham provided it. Midway through the second half, the England midfielder combined with Mbappe in a neat one-two that released the French forward inside the box. Mbappe calmly placed his finish beyond the goalkeeper to restore Real Madrid’s lead.
Bellingham was involved again shortly afterwards. After showing persistence inside the penalty area, he managed to create the opening for Vinicius Jr, who completed the move with a simple tap-in.
With Madrid now in control, Mbappe completed his hat-trick late in the match. Vinicius Jr produced an excellent ball into the box, and Mbappe ran onto it before delicately chipping the goalkeeper to complete a memorable individual performance.
Mourinho Praises Mbappe
After the match, Mourinho praised Mbappe’s quality and his desire to establish a lasting legacy at Real Madrid.
“He’s a historical player, his World Cup record will remain forever,” Mourinho said.
The Madrid manager also emphasised that Mbappe offers more than simply goals.
“He’s very hungry to make history at Real Madrid too. He isn’t just a goalscorer, he doesn’t wait for the whole team to create and then just score.”
Mourinho added that coaching players of Mbappe’s calibre requires a different approach.
“He’s very involved in the game. When you coach elite players like this, you don’t need to coach them as individuals. You need to coach the team as a whole.”
The victory gives Mourinho a perfect start to his return, while Mbappe’s three-goal performance underlines why Madrid will once again be among the favourites for major honours.
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