27 Aug 2026 (Navroze Bureau) : Real Madrid produced another dominant performance at the Santiago Bernabéu, beating Real Sociedad 4-1 in LaLiga as Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick and Vinícius Júnior added another goal.
A detailed look at the match’s set-pieces, however, shows that Madrid’s dead-ball threat was more effective in the second half, particularly through second-phase situations.
Madrid’s Set-Piece Numbers
Real Madrid had 14 dead-ball situations during the match, including eight goal kicks, four corners and two free kicks.
From those situations, Madrid generated four shots, with three coming after the initial delivery had been contested and recycled into a second phase.
Madrid won the first contact on five of six relevant deliveries, showing their effectiveness in aerial contests.
Second-Half Threat
Neither team produced a shot from a set-piece in the first half.
That changed after the break, with all six set-piece shots in the match coming in the second half. Madrid had nine dead balls after half-time and created three shots while the score was level, adding another attempt after taking the lead.
Real Sociedad Had More Opportunities
Interestingly, Real Sociedad had more set-piece opportunities overall.
The visitors recorded 18 dead balls, including seven corners, three free kicks and eight goal kicks. They won the first contact on seven of 10 deliveries and produced two shots from set-piece situations.
However, Sociedad’s set-piece threat was limited while the match was level. Both of their attempts came after they were already trailing.
Madrid’s Second-Phase Success
The numbers highlight Madrid’s ability to remain dangerous even when the first delivery does not immediately create a scoring chance.
Three of their four set-piece shots came from the second phase, suggesting that winning the initial duel and retaining possession around the penalty area was an important part of their attacking approach.
Mbappé Leads the Attack
While set-pieces formed an interesting part of the tactical picture, Madrid’s biggest threat came from open play.
Mbappé scored in the 39th, 59th and 79th minutes, completing his hat-trick, while Vinícius scored in the 67th minute. Sociedad’s only goal came from Luka Sučić in the 43rd minute.
A Complete Madrid Performance
Madrid’s 4-1 victory was built on more than dead-ball situations. The team also created a significant attacking threat from open play and controlled the match more effectively after half-time.
The result gave Madrid an impressive start to their home campaign, with Mbappé once again at the centre of the attacking display.
What the Set-Piece Data Shows
The set-piece numbers offer an important tactical takeaway: Madrid did not simply rely on direct deliveries into the box.
Their ability to win first contact, recover loose balls and create second-phase opportunities helped them turn dead-ball situations into additional attacking chances.