Real Madrid Beat Real Sociedad 4-1 as Mbappé Nets Hat-Trick in Mourinho's Bernabéu Return

Real Madrid defeated Real Sociedad 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, in their rescheduled 2026-27 La Liga home opener. Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick — his first in the league since May 2025 — as José Mourinho won his first competitive home match since returning to the club more than 13 years after his previous Bernabéu farewell.

The victory lifted Los Blancos to the top of the early La Liga table with six points from two matches, while Sociedad remained winless and slipped to the bottom of the standings with a second straight defeat.

Editor’s note: This article draws on match reporting from La Liga, Reuters, BBC Sport, and AP, plus post-match analysis from Managing Madrid, August 26, 2026. Scorers, the final score, and confirmed line-ups reflect the completed Matchday 2 fixture at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Match at a glance

Detail	Information
Competition	La Liga EA SPORTS, Matchday 2 (rescheduled home opener)
Date & time	Wednesday, August 26, 2026 — 21:00 CEST
Venue	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
Final score	Real Madrid 4–1 Real Sociedad
Real Madrid coach	José Mourinho
Real Sociedad coach	Imanol Alguacil

Goal scorers

Scorer	Club	Minute	Assist
Kylian Mbappé	Real Madrid	40’	Federico Valverde
Luka Sučić	Real Sociedad	44’	—
Kylian Mbappé	Real Madrid	60’	Jude Bellingham
Vinícius Júnior	Real Madrid	68’	Jude Bellingham
Kylian Mbappé	Real Madrid	80’	Vinícius Júnior

Mourinho’s Bernabéu homecoming

Mourinho’s last competitive match at the Bernabéu before this night was a 4-2 win over Osasuna on June 1, 2013 — a gap of 4,835 days. His return to the dugout carried the weight of a club that finished the 2025-26 season without a trophy and turned again to the Portuguese coach who delivered three major honors in his first spell.

The rescheduled fixture against Sociedad was always the symbolic home curtain-raiser. Real Madrid had opened their league campaign with a 1-1 draw at Espanyol four days earlier, leaving Mourinho without the fast start he wanted on the road. Wednesday offered the chance to reset the tone in front of a full Bernabéu crowd.

After the match, Mourinho told reporters that he wanted supporters to know Madrid would “win many games like this” — a reference to a performance that was clinical rather than dominant in possession.

How the game unfolded

Mbappé opens, Sučić levels

Real Madrid took control in the first half. In the 40th minute, Federico Valverde drove forward and fed Mbappé, who finished from inside the area to make it 1-0.

Sociedad responded quickly. Luka Sučić equalized in the 44th minute, punishing a lapse before the interval and sending the visitors into half-time level at 1-1.

Bellingham links the attack

The second half belonged to Madrid’s front line. Jude Bellingham was the architect: in the 60th minute he assisted Mbappé for a left-footed finish that restored the lead at 2-1, then repeated the role eight minutes later with a pass that Vinícius Júnior converted for 3-1.

It was the first time Bellingham had assisted both Mbappé and Vinícius in the same match — a sign that Mourinho’s plan to field the three stars together was producing end-product, not just spectacle.

Mbappé completes the hat-trick

Vinícius returned the favor in the 80th minute, setting up Mbappé for his third goal and a 4-1 final score. The French striker had failed to score a La Liga hat-trick across the entire 2025-26 campaign; opening the new season with three goals against one of his most productive opponents sent a blunt message about his intent.

Mbappé’s tally against Sociedad rose to 10 goals in his career against the Basque side. The hat-trick also moved him to 89 goals for Real Madrid overall, placing him among the club’s top 25 all-time scorers.

Konaté starts, later withdrawn

French defender Ibrahima Konaté started at centre-back alongside Dean Huijsen in a back four that also featured Denzel Dumfries and Álvaro Carreras. Konaté was substituted in the 73rd minute — one of several changes Mourinho made to protect legs ahead of a compressed fixture list.

Konaté’s inclusion had drawn attention before kickoff given his nationality and Madrid’s French contingent around Mbappé. He had also started the draw at Espanyol on August 22, suggesting Mourinho views the Liverpool arrival as a first-choice option while Éder Militão and Ferland Mendy remain injured.

Confirmed line-ups

Real Madrid (4-4-2)

Courtois; Dumfries, Huijsen, Konaté, Carreras; Güler, Valverde, Silva, Bellingham; Mbappé, Vinícius.

Substitutes used included Camavinga, Cucurella, and Diomandé. Rodrygo, Endrick, Militão, Mendy, and Tchouaméni were unavailable.

Real Sociedad (4-4-2)

Remiro; Aramburu, Martín, Zubeldia, Gómez; Herrera, Kubo, Soler, Barrenetxea; Sučić, Oskarsson.

Numbers behind the scoreline

Stat	Real Madrid	Real Sociedad
Possession	51%	49%
Shots	20	10
Shots on target	10	3
Touches in opposition box	46	15

Madrid did not monopolize the ball — a hallmark of Mourinho’s measured approach — but converted chances at a far higher rate. Los Blancos had more than three times as many touches in the opposition penalty area as Sociedad.

What the result means

For Real Madrid, the win is the response Mourinho needed after the Espanyol draw. Two wins from two — albeit with a compressed schedule ahead — puts them atop La Liga alongside Sevilla and Real Betis on points, narrowly ahead on goal difference. Bellingham’s dual assists and Mbappé’s hat-trick offered the clearest evidence yet that the rebuilt attack can function as a unit.

For Real Sociedad, the defeat extends a miserable league run. La Real have not won a league match since April 4, and their 1-0 loss to Betis on opening weekend left them with zero points and a -4 goal difference after two rounds. Their only victory since spring came in the Copa del Rey final penalty shootout against Atlético Madrid — form that has not carried into the new La Liga campaign.

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Discussion

Madrid’s front three finally delivered the kind of night Mourinho promised when he reunited Mbappé, Vinícius, and Bellingham in the same XI.

1. Mbappé’s hat-trick came after a goalless La Liga season in 2025-26. Does this performance reset expectations for his second year under Mourinho — or was Sociedad’s poor run the main factor?

The French striker had scored 10 times against La Real before Wednesday; the Basque side’s defensive frailties were well known.

2. Bellingham assisted both Mbappé and Vinícius in the same match for the first time. Is that the template Mourinho will stick with — Bellingham as the link, the wingers as finishers — once Rodrygo and others return?

Los Blancos still lack Mendy, Militão, and Rodrygo; the XI may evolve, but Wednesday’s chemistry was hard to ignore.

Share whether a 4-1 Bernabéu win is the statement Madrid needed after the Espanyol draw — or whether tougher tests await in the weeks ahead.

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