Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad: Mourinho proves he can make Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham work as Los Blancos respond to Barcelona

Following a gritty opening-weekend victory against Espanyol, José Mourinho’s side returned to the Bernabéu looking to make a statement, and their attacking talisman delivered. 

Kylian Mbappé was completely unplayable, scoring three times to dismantle a compact Real Sociedad defence to deliver a 4-1 victory.

Operating at the tip of a terrifying attack that featured Vinícius Júnior, Arda Güler, and Jude Bellingham, Mbappé’s clinical finishing ensured Los Blancos maintained their perfect start to the new campaign, and issuing and similarly emphatic response to Barcelona’s 5-0 thrashing of Elche from the weekend.

Despite the lopsided final score, Pellegrino Matarazzo’s Real Sociedad proved a stubborn opponent during a tightly contested first 45 minutes before Real Madrid ultimately pulled away.

While the demolition happened in the second half, La Reale started to cave from the first. Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock just before halftime, finding the back of the net to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage in the 39th minute.

Real Sociedad responded almost immediately. Luka Sučić struck a crucial equaliser just four minutes later, sending the sides into the locker room deadlocked at 1-1.

Real Madrid seized control early in the second half. Mbappé struck again, restoring the lead and swinging the momentum entirely in the hosts’ favour after an assist from Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham registered another assist, displaying incredible tenacity before setting up Viñícius Júnior, who extended the advantage to 3-1 and effectively putting the game out of reach for the visitors.

Capping off an incredible individual performance, Mbappé secured his hat-trick, cementing the 4-1 rout.

In the closing stages, Mourinho rotated his squad, handing valuable minutes to Carlos Espí and Brahim Diaz, both of whom combined to score a fifth, which was ultimately chopped off by VAR. Yan Diomande and Eduardo Camavinga also came on to good effect.

The emphatic victory sends a clear message across Spain: Mourinho’s Real Madrid are a terrifying force. Particularly, the incredible chemistry displayed by the trio of Bellingham, Vinicius and Mbappe, a factor which many argue contributed to their lack of success in previous campaigns, is an excellent sign of what’s to come

Real Madrid will look to carry their momentum forward and make it three wins in a row when they host Malaga this weekend, while Real Sociedad must return to the Basque Country to regroup and shore up a defence that was ultimately overwhelmed in the Spanish capital.