Vinicius Junior scored a superb first-half hat-trick as Real Madrid thrashed bitter rivals Barcelona 4-1 to win the Spanish Super Cup at Al Awwal Stadium in Saudi Arabia on Sunday night.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men came into this highly-anticipated encounter as firm favorites, as they ousted the Blaugrana with ease in what was a one-sided final from start to finish.
Ronald Araujo was sent off in the 71st minute in what was a disastrous night for Xavi’s men.
Real Madrid makes a dream start
It was a dream start for Real as Vinicius opened the scoring in the 3rd minute. The Brazilian received a good pass from Jude Bellingham when he was already close to the goal, before rounding Iñaki Peña in the Barcelona goal and giving him the advantage to Madrid.
Pena then saved Rodrygo’s thunderous 20-yard shot just 2 minutes later before Vinicius made it 2-0 in the 10th minute.
The winger scored from close range after Rodrygo’s quick low cross from the right flank as Barcelona’s defense could not cope with Madrid’s bright start. Pedri almost scored just two minutes later when his half-volley hit the crossbar, but Robert Lewandowski was unable to head the ball when Andriy Lunin prevented the Polish striker’s attempt by tipping it over.
Lewandowski reduced the lead in the 33rd minute with a sumptuous shot from the edge of the area after a quick move by Barcelona. It looked like Barcelona would finally get back into the game.
However, Araujo let the game slip away from the Catalans by bringing down Vinicius in the box with the Brazilian ready to jump to the far post. The Madrid winger took a step forward to avoid making mistakes when the Galacticos went into the break with a 3-1 lead and Barcelona fighting all over the field.
Madrid secures the trophy in a calmer second half
It was a quieter second half, as Xavi made several changes to get back into the game, but Barcelona barely created any clear scoring opportunities. Then, Rodrygo made it 4-1 in the 64th minute from inside the area to put the game away.
Things got worse for Barcelona when Araujo received his marching orders for a second yellow for another cynical challenge to Vinicius. Neither team created any more chances in the final fifteen minutes as Madrid recorded a memorable victory in front of a packed crowd.
The result will be a hard blow for Barcelona, who are having a bad season by their standards. The Catalans occupy fourth place in the La Liga standings, eight points behind leaders Girona and seven behind Real, who could well go on and claim their crown. Along with Vinicius, Belingham and Rodrygo they sought the peak of their powers as Real look to build a memorable campaign.
Ancelotti, for his part, will be delighted with the effort of his team, who scored with a dominant performance. The Galacticos are undoubtedly the favorites for La Liga and will also try to go far in the Champions League this season.
Photo credit: IMAGO/AFLOSPORT
Charging…
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