Kylian Mbappe scored his first hat-trick of the season as Real Madrid thrashed Real Sociedad 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to hand Jose Mourinho his second win for the campaign.
The Los Blancos produced a strong second-half display to claim a victory that sent strong warning to rivals, Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga.
The match started at a high tempo with both teams looking to attack. Real Sociedad showed confidence in possession and tried to test the Madrid defence early on.
However, the breakthrough came for the home side in the 40th minute. Federico Valverde picked out Kylian Mbappe with a fine pass, and the French forward fired a powerful shot past the goalkeeper to make it 1-0.
The Bernabeu crowd erupted as the French international celebrated his first goal of the evening. Sociedad responded well and refused to let Madrid take complete control of the encounter.
Their efforts paid off in the 44th minute when Luka Sucic found the back of the net. The midfielder reacted quickest after a loose ball situation inside the penalty area and calmly finished to level the score at 1-1 just before halftime.
The equalizer gave the visitors hope heading into the break. The second half belonged to the home side as they had so much work to do after going inside for the break.
Mourinho’s tactical adjustments helped his team gain control of midfield and create more chances in attack. They looked sharper, more aggressive, and determined to regain their lead.
Their pressure finally paid off in the 60th minute. Jude Bellingham combined brilliantly with Mbappe, and the French striker finished from close range to score his second goal of the night.
The goal restored the advantage and shifted the momentum firmly in the home side favor. Only eight minutes later, Madrid extended their lead with another stunning finish.
In the 68th minute, Bellingham won possession high up the pitch after intense pressing. The ball eventually found Vinicius Junior, who made no mistake from close range to make it 3-1.
The goal effectively ended any hopes of a Sociedad comeback. Mbappe completed his hat-trick in the 80th minute with another stunning finish as things became 4-1.
Vinicius Junior provided the assist, and Mbappe showed his class with a composed chipped finish over the goalkeeper who stood no chance.
It was a moment of quality from the French superstar and capped a memorable individual performance. The goal made it 4-1 and sealed all three points for the hosts.
After the match, Jose Mourinho praised his team’s second-half performance and highlighted the impact of tactical changes made during the break, which turned things around.
The Portuguese manager was pleased with the way his players responded after conceding the equalizer before halftime.
Mbappe also received widespread praise for his clinical finishing and match-winning display. For Real Sociedad, there was nothing much they could make happen for themselves.
The visitors showed promise going forward but struggled to contain Mbappe, Vinicius, and Bellingham after the break. The result sends a strong message to the rest of La Liga.
With Mbappe in top form and Madrid’s attack firing on all cylinders, the Los Blancos look ready to challenge for major honours this season under Jose Mourinho.
The Bernabeu faithful left the stadium delighted after witnessing a dominant second-half display and a hat-trick from one of the world’s best players as they claimed a 4-1 victory.