That carnivorous Real Madrid, which leaves no trace of its rivals even for the hyenas, appeared at times in the season’s opening at the Bernabéu against a Real Sociedad that had just won the Cup, resurrected with Matarazzo, and celebrated the world title of its captain Mikel Oyarzabal (4-1). In other contexts, Real, like Espanyol last week, would have choked Madrid; it seems that won’t happen with Mourinho, who stirred his boys at halftime and resolved the match clearly, lifting his own from their seats when their best players connected and at the same time found spaces.
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Three goals from Mbappé, who doesn’t care who is on the bench, whether it rains or shines, and another from Vinícius, whose buzz doesn’t disappear, keep the whites undefeated, united by the threads of Valverde, Güler, and Bernardo Silva.
There wasn’t much fanfare in Mourinho’s return to the Bernabéu 13 years later. That’s how the Portuguese wanted it. Perhaps because the hurricane of his signing is appeased by the ambient sound of a stand disillusioned by what happened last season, which prefers to observe first and then reward the changes. For this reason, five minutes before Mbappé scored the 1-0 (40th minute), whistles were heard, with Madrid stuck in attack, lacking intensity in pressure, and letting Real get under their skin. Sergio Gómez, after a pass from Oyarzabal, connected with a very aesthetic volley that grazed Courtois’ post. First serious warning. It was the 34th minute.
But Madrid is an expert at reversing moods. And the French forward debuted in the championship with a goal that bears his hallmark: he received in the area, controlled on the run with his right, and shot into the top corner with his left. Half a goal was from Fede Valverde. Mourinho had already said he wanted him in midfield and showed why. Without creativity to provide the final pass with Güler and Bernardo Silva too tightly marked, a run by the Uruguayan allowed Mbappé to uncork. In this football, runs are starting to be the best equation to solve the unknown in complex defensive systems. Mbappé, Vinícius, and Valverde himself found in their legs the paths that the brain refused to see.
The joy, however, did not last long for the whites. A symptom that Mourinho’s team still has a way to go.
A ball behind Konaté, imperial until that action, ended up deflected on the right flank where Sučić anticipated Carreras and didn’t miss with his left (1-1). Everything returned to the starting point after a first half of moments. Madrid overwhelmed for ten minutes, then Real balanced with long possessions.
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But everything changed after halftime. Güler centered his position, the whites increased the intensity of their pressure, and Real became unbalanced. The match turned into a jungle of back and forth, and there Mbappé is king.
On the hour mark, he finished with his right a one-two with Bellingham in a tight space. Not only does he run, Madrid also combines. Six minutes later, effective pressure fell to the Englishman, who this time assisted Vinícius, who reconciled for moments. With the 3-1, Madrid began the carousel of changes; also Real, out of sorts with an absent Kubo and without connecting with their attackers.
This time it was Vinícius who found Mbappé with an exquisite pass that the Frenchman resolved with a chip over Remiro. In just 20 minutes, three goals with the participation of the three footballers who, for Mourinho, provide more solutions than problems (4-1).
Brahim made it 5-1, later disallowed for offside. Madrid didn’t stop and found themselves comfortable counter-attacking, a match script always in the playbook of a Mourinho who experienced a calm and happy debut, in the background, although the spotlights continued to point at him more, even, than at Mbappé himself.
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