Kylian Mbappé delivered a stunning hat-trick as Real Madrid thrashed Real Sociedad 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in La Liga, with Vinicius Junior also on the scoresheet in a commanding home performance. Jude Bellingham contributed two assists as the trio dismantled their Basque opponents in what was José Mourinho's first home match since returning to the club as head coach.
Madrid made a bright but even start, with both goalkeepers called into action before Federico Valverde fed Mbappé five minutes before half-time. The French forward — top scorer in La Liga in each of the last two seasons — took a precise first touch to shake his marker and buried the ball in the top corner for his first goal of the campaign. Real Sociedad, last season's Copa del Rey winners, drew level almost immediately when Luka Sucic converted a loose ball that had deflected off Álvaro Carreras after a blocked shot from Job Ochieng.
The second half belonged to Madrid. A slick combination between Valverde and Bellingham freed Mbappé to calmly stroke home his second into the far corner. Bellingham then refused to surrender possession in the Sociedad area, winning the ball back and teeing up Vinicius for the third. Vinicius then repaid the favour, playing Mbappé in with a perfectly weighted pass for a delicate chip over the onrushing goalkeeper — the pick of the evening's goals. Denzel Dumfries, the Dutch international who joined Real Madrid from Inter Milan this summer, played the full 90 minutes at right-back.
The result leaves Madrid with six points from two matches, level with Sevilla and Real Betis at the top of La Liga. Mourinho, the veteran Portuguese coach best known for his earlier spell managing the club, had spoken of the challenge of getting Mbappé, Vinicius and Bellingham all performing at their peak simultaneously — this performance suggested that challenge may be closer to being met than many expected. Vinicius, who recently signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2032, was substituted late on and warmly embraced Mourinho as he left the pitch. Barcelona host Athletic Bilbao on Thursday and could also move to six points.