Real Madrid emerged victorious in the Spanish Super Cup with an emphatic 4-1 triumph over arch-rivals Barcelona in Saudi Arabia. Vinicius Jr stole the spotlight, scoring a first-half hat-trick, while Ronald Araujo’s second yellow card reduced Barcelona to 10 men.
Real Madrid’s dominance left Barcelona struggling to cope, and the match took a turn for the worse for the defending champions when Araujo received his marching orders in the 71st minute. Real’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti, credited Vinicius Jr’s performance, 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 acknowledged the difficulty of the match but noted, “At 3-1, it was even. At 4-1, they dropped their arms a bit. We are happy.”
Real Madrid’s masterclass began early, with Jude Bellingham’s exquisite assist setting up Vinicius Jr’s opener in the seventh minute. Rodrygo and Vinicius created problems for Barcelona’s defence, leading to the second goal in the 10th minute.
Despite Barcelona’s attempts to respond, including a Lewandowski strike that reduced the deficit, Vinicius Jr. extended Real’s lead with a penalty in the 39th minute. The second half saw Rodrygo seal the victory with a fourth goal in the 64th minute.
Barcelona’s manager, Xavi, expressed disappointment: “We have not shown the level required for a match like this… We played our worst game. I apologise to the fans because it was hard for us to compete, and we showed our worst side.”
The convincing win solidifies Real Madrid’s standing in La Liga, keeping them in contention for the top spot. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s struggles continue as they sit fourth in the standings.
