In Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Real Madrid defeated fierce rivals Barcelona 4-1 to win the Spanish Super Cup. In the first half of the match, Vinicius Jr. scored a hat-trick for Real Madrid.
After defender Ronald Araujo was sent off for a second card in the 71st minute after two fouls on the Brazilian, Real Madrid concluded the match with 10 men, having controlled every facet of the game and toying with the champions from the previous year who were unable to manage Vinicius.
Real manager Carlo Ancelotti said to Movistar Plus, “I didn’t expect us to score three so soon, but we took advantage of their high defensive line with an inspired Vinicius tonight.”
“That was a challenging game, and the outcome seemed excessive given how Barcelona performed. It was even at 3-1. They slightly lowered their arms at 4-1. We’re content.”
Ancelotti was being fair to Barca who might have suffered an even greater loss following a poor second half in which they didn’t manage a single shot on target.
Real’s masterpiece, however, had begun much earlier, with Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Vinicius generating all sorts of difficulty for a Barcelona defense who were playing with an incredibly high line.
It took Real seven minutes to open the score due to a superb assist by Bellingham.
The England midfielder was surrounded by three players on the halfway line but nonetheless managed to deliver a beautiful pass to find Vinicius who grabbed the ball in his stride and quickly raced past the goalie to score into an empty net.
Real missed a golden chance to expand their advantage when Federico Valverde collected the ball fast and put a beautiful cross through to Rodrygo, whose point-blank drive was well stopped by goalkeeper Inaki Pena.
Real’s second came from another long pass, this time with Dani Carvajal finding Rodrygo in the right channel. He surged into the box before squaring the ball across the penalty area for a Vinicius tap-in in the 10th minute.
Ferran Torres’ half-volley against the crossbar gave Barcelona a swift response, but goalie Andriy Lunin made a reflex save to save Robert Lewandowski’s rocket effort on the rebound.
However, Barca showed tenacity and were able to cut the lead in the 33rd minute thanks to a beautiful Lewandowski goal off another rebound.
When Aurelien Tchouameni hoisted a cross to Vinicius Jr., who was being pushed back by defender Araujo as he attempted to pounce on the ball, Barca seemed to have the upper hand. In the 39th minute, Vinicius took the penalty and scored to the goalkeeper’s right with a neat finish.
Real Madrid controlled the second half as Rodrygo scored their fourth goal off a rebound in the 64th minute, dealing a crushing blow to Barcelona.
The defeat will put further strain on Barca manager Xavi, who has been under fire from supporters and the media for the team’s performance.
With 41 points, they are eight points behind Girona at the top of the La Liga standings and seven behind Real Madrid in second place.
Xavi said during a news conference, “We have not shown the level required for a match like this.”
“It was our worst game ever. We weren’t comfortable at any stage. Madrid wounded us by counterattacking. We struggled to compete and displayed our ugliest sides, therefore I apologize to the supporters.”
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