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A Kylian Mbappe hat-trick helped Real Madrid crush Real Sociedad 4-1 in their La Liga match at their home arena of Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
This marks their first win of the season at home and their second win in two matches. The Jose Mourinho era continues undefeated for the Spanish giants, who would be eyeing redemption after two dry seasons without any major titles. Denzel Dumfries, along with Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr, was a part of the starting line-up for Real Madrid. In the first half, there were chances at both ends, with Mbappe, Vinicius and Mikel Oyarzabal of Sociedad all being denied, as per Goal.com. A wide strike from Sergio Gomez made it seem like the first half would be drawless, but the match came to life in the final five minutes of the first half. Mbappe struck to make it 1-0 in the 40th minute, sending his opponent the wrong way after a pass from Federico Valverde. Four minutes later, Luka Susic produced a gentle equaliser, taking the scoreline 1-1 into half-time. Mbappe later combined with Bellingham to make it 2-1 in the 60th minute. Vinicius also struck, making it 3-1 in the 68th minute, before Mbappe completed his hat-trick in the 80th minute to make it 4-1. Brahim Diaz's strike could have made it 5-1, but saw his goal ruled out for offside. Speaking after the match, Mourinho said, as quoted by the club's official website, that the first half was difficult as they struggled to click with their pressing and admitted to sitting on the bench "wishing for a water break". "The first half was difficult for us, in the sense that we weren't clicking with our pressing, and Real Sociedad didn't create or have many scoring opportunities. I think their goal was the only shot on target they had in the first half, but they were very well-organized. They are a team with a very good coach, large distances between their central defenders, and very hard to press. It was one of those games where I was saying on the bench that I wished there was a water break, it would have been perfect," he said. "At halftime, we adjusted some things, and then in the second half, we scored four goals, but it could've been five or six. That would have been unfair to a Real Sociedad that had a great first half but faced obvious difficulties in the second against a team with players like Kylian, Jude... It is a lot of football and a lot of quality. In the second half, it was impossible for them," he added. Making his return to Bernabeu after the first spell with the club from 2010-13, he said that the match was "calm" "The first match at the Bernabeu was calm. I don't get very nervous or tense before matches anymore. I enjoyed it a lot. The last time I came here with Benfica (his previous team), I stayed in the garage watching the game. Today is the first time I have been in the new Bernabeu. I am not a fan of them chanting my name. The team is the most important thing, and feeling the support is what matters most to me. I am very happy with the players' feelings after playing their first home match, winning well, the fans going home smiling, and tomorrow we train because Malaga is coming on Sunday," he signed off. (ANI)
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