In a spectacular display of skill and dominance, Real Madrid secured the Spanish Super Cup title after a convincing 4-1 triumph over arch-rivals Barcelona in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The star of the show was Vinicius Jr, who notched up a hat-trick in the first half, leading Real to a resounding victory.
Real Madrid left no room for doubt as they outclassed Barcelona in every aspect of the game, leaving the defending champions struggling to contain Vinicius Jr. The intensity of the match reached its peak when Barcelona’s defender Ronald Araujo received a second booking in the 71st minute, reducing his team to 10 men after two fouls on the Brazilian winger.
Real’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti, acknowledged the unexpected speed of their scoring spree, stating, “I didn’t expect us to score three so soon, but we took advantage of their high defensive line with an inspired Vinicius tonight.” Ancelotti added, “It was a difficult match, the result seems too much for the way Barcelona played. At 3-1, it was even. At 4-1, they dropped their arms a bit. We are happy.”
Despite Ancelotti’s diplomatic assessment, Barcelona struggled in the second half, failing to record a single shot on target. Real Madrid’s masterclass began early on, with Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, and Vinicius consistently troubling Barcelona’s defense, which played with an extremely high line.
Real Madrid opened the scoring in the seventh minute with an outstanding assist by Bellingham. Despite being surrounded by three players, Bellingham delivered a stunning pass to Vinicius, who raced past the goalkeeper and effortlessly finished into an empty net.
Barcelona had a chance to equalize when Ferran Torres struck a half-volley against the crossbar, and Andriy Lunin made a reflex save to deny Robert Lewandowski’s powerful rebound strike. However, Real’s second goal came in the 10th minute, with Dani Carvajal finding Rodrygo, who squared the ball for Vinicius to tap in.
Barcelona managed to reduce the deficit with a fine strike from Lewandowski in the 33rd minute, but Real regained control when Aurelien Tchouameni’s cross led to a penalty for Vinicius in the 39th minute. Vinicius calmly converted the penalty, delivering a hammer blow to Barcelona.
The second half belonged entirely to Real Madrid, with Rodrygo securing their fourth goal from a rebound in the 64th minute. The resounding victory puts additional pressure on Barcelona manager Xavi, who has been under scrutiny due to the team’s inconsistent form. Barcelona currently sits fourth in the LaLiga standings, trailing leaders Girona by eight points and second-placed Real Madrid by seven.
Xavi acknowledged the team’s subpar performance, stating, “We have not shown the level required for a match like this. We played our worst game. We weren’t comfortable at any point. Madrid hurt us on the counter. I apologize to the fans because it was hard for us to compete, and we showed our worst side.”
