Level and whistled at half-time, Real Madrid scored three times in the second half once the tempo went up. Mbappé got a hat-trick and Bellingham two assists.
The numbers
| Real Madrid | Real Sociedad | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 51% | 49% |
| Shots | 20 | 10 |
| xG | 3.18 | 0.65 |
| Touches in opp. box | 48 | 15 |
Result the chances deserved: Real Madrid 86% / 10% / Real Sociedad 5% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Courtois, Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Carreras, Bernardo Silva, Valverde, Güler, Bellingham, Vinícius Jr, Mbappé.
Real Sociedad (4-2-3-1): Remiro, Aramburu, Beitia, Jon Martín, Sergio Gómez, Herrera, Turrientes, Kubo, Sučić, Ochieng, Oyarzabal.
Real Sociedad subs: Zubeldia & Óskarsson (57', Aramburu & Oyarzabal), Barrenetxea & Soler (66', Ochieng & Herrera), Guedes (74', Kubo). A late Brahim Díaz goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check. This was Matchday 1, played after Real Madrid's Matchday 2 game at RCD Espanyol. Line-ups and times as listed by FotMob.
Key moments, move by move
- Valverde carries the ball from his own half all the way to the Real Sociedad box.
- He drives a pass into Mbappé.
- Mbappé's first touch, with his right foot, takes him past Jon Martín.
- He finishes with his left foot into the top corner.
- Ochieng takes the ball into the box on Real Sociedad's left and waits too long.
- His shot is blocked and the ball falls to Sučić.
- Sučić hits it hard. It deflects off Carreras into the bottom corner.
- Mbappé plays the ball into Bellingham at the edge of the Real Sociedad box.
- Bellingham returns it first time.
- Mbappé curls a low, angled shot past Remiro.
- Bellingham's first shot is blocked inside the Real Sociedad box.
- He wins the ball back from Beitia before the defence can clear.
- He squares it, and Vinícius taps in.
- Real Sociedad fail to clear a Real Madrid corner properly.
- Vinícius threads a pass through a defender's legs.
- Mbappé runs onto it and chips it over Remiro for his hat-trick.
A back three in build-up, Dumfries as a winger
- The build-up shape: in possession Real Madrid became a 3-4-2-1. Carreras tucked in beside Konaté and Huijsen, Bernardo Silva and Valverde sat in front, and Dumfries pushed up as a right winger (Tactical Football Analysis).
- Calm centre-backs: Huijsen completed 96% of 72 passes, many of them sideways to Bernardo, Konaté and Cucurella, and Konaté completed 52 of 54 (Yahoo). Real Madrid kept the ball and waited for the right moment to go forward.
- Faster in the second half: the first half was slow, with careless possession and Real Sociedad chances for Oyarzabal and Sergio Gómez (Morocco World News). After the break Real Madrid played more one-touch passes around the box. Mourinho said Mbappé dropped deeper to link with Vinícius and Bellingham (beIN), and the one-two for the second goal came from exactly that.
- Bellingham's night: two assists, one from a one-two and one from winning the ball back after his own shot was blocked. Real Madrid finished with 48 touches in the Real Sociedad box to 15.
Recreate it in FM26
Mourinho's 3-4-2-1 build-up from a back four
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Courtois | Goalkeeper | Line-Holding Keeper |
| RB | Dumfries | Advanced Wing-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Konaté | Wide Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Huijsen | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Carreras | Inside Full-Back | Holding Full-Back |
| RDM | Bernardo Silva | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Valverde | Defensive Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Güler | Half-Space Winger | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Bellingham | Attacking Midfielder | Central Outlet Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Vinícius Jr | Winger | Wide Outlet Winger |
| ST | Mbappé | Deep-Lying Forward | Central Outlet Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Build-Up StrategyPlay Through Press
- TempoHigher
- Passing DirectnessBalanced
- Attacking WidthWider
- PatienceWork Ball Into Box
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Trigger PressMore Often
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
The idea: The left-back tucks in to make a back three, so the right-back can play as a winger and Güler moves inside. You need a left-back comfortable as a centre-back, and a striker who drops to combine rather than waiting on the last line.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't show the change in speed between the halves: the shape was the same, only the tempo changed.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Camavinga on at 46' (for Bernardo Silva). Keep the shape, which worked, and bring Camavinga on at half-time to cut the cheap turnovers. The second half was already Real Madrid's best 45 minutes of the season so far. It moves Real Madrid's win chance from 86% to 89% (xG 3.18–0.65 becomes 3.23–0.50). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Real Madrid needed
Eduardo Camavinga
Real Madrid's first half was slow and loose, and Real Sociedad's best spells came from Madrid losing the ball. Camavinga beats the first line with the ball at his feet and wins it back quickly. Next to Valverde, he would have made the back-three build-up quicker from the start.
João Neves
Real Madrid's problem before half-time was losing the ball cheaply with only two midfielders behind five attackers. Neves presses straight after losing the ball, covers a lot of ground and rarely gives it away, so the turnovers that led to Real Sociedad's first-half chances would have been won back sooner.
What the analysts said
“I don't like talking about individuals, but what Kylian has done... it's crazy.”José Mourinho (beIN SPORTS)
“Kylian isn't the typical forward who waits.”José Mourinho (beIN SPORTS)
“The centre-backs were dominant, the midfielders were machines.”José Mourinho (Yahoo Sports)
“There's always a sense of justice in the boos and the applause, and the odd boo now and then doesn't do anyone any harm.”José Mourinho, on the half-time whistles (Morocco World News)
Same shape, faster passing: the second half was the plan working.
At half-time the Bernabéu was whistling. Real Madrid had been slow and careless on the ball, Real Sociedad had already threatened through Oyarzabal and Sergio Gómez, and a blocked shot had fallen to Sučić for 1–1 a minute before the break. The final numbers were one-sided: 3.18 xG to 0.65 (FotMob) and 48 touches in the box to 15.
Very little changed in the second half except the speed. Carreras came off for Cucurella, but the back-three build-up, the two deep midfielders and Dumfries high on the right all stayed. What changed was the passing around the box. Mbappé dropped in to link with Bellingham and Vinícius, and the goals came from a one-two, a ball won back in the box and a first-time through pass. Three goals in 20 minutes followed.
So the plan worked once the ball moved quickly. The warning is the first 40 minutes. With five attackers and only two midfielders behind the ball, slow possession gives the opponent easy turnovers. Real Sociedad's equaliser came from their own attack, but the chances before it came from Real Madrid losing the ball cheaply.