Vinicius Junior scored a first-half hat- trick as Real Madrid thumped ten-man Barcelona 4-1 to lift Spanish super Cup trophy in Riyadh.
It took seven minutes for the Los Blancos to break the deadlock, with Jude Bellingham; who claimed his first trophy at Madrid, playing a defense- splitting pass to the on-rushing Vinicius Junior, who calmly went round Inaki Pena; the Barca keeper, to slot into an empty net.
With Xavi’s defense looking out of sorts, a ball through the top for Rodrygo caught them napping, with the Brazilian exploiting a high line set by Barcelona unselfishly set-up his compatriot Vinicius who doubled the advantage for Madrid.
Barcelona would pull one back from the mercurial Robert Lewandoski, as his shot from outside the area, flew past a crowd of players including the Real Madrid keeper, AndriyLunin; who came in for the off-form KepaArrizaballaga.
Vini would complete his hat-trick in the 39th minute, as a challenge by Ronald Araujo warranted a penalty, which he coolly dispatched. He becomes the latest player to score a hat-trick against Barcelona since Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League back in 2021.
His involvement in the game would continue, as his cross was tamely cut out by Jules Kounde straight into the path of Rodrygo, who drilled beyond Pena, to see off the game at 4-1.
The day would go from bad to worse, as Araujo would compound Barcelona’s misery with a second yellow which meant the Spaniard got his matching orders.
Barcelona now set their sights on La Liga despite being 7 points behind current leaders Real Madrid.
