Vinicius Junior scored a first-half hat-trick in the Super Cup final to propel Real Madrid to a comfortable 4-1 win over Barcelona in Riyadh.
Having left it late to defeat Atletico Madrid 5-3 in the semi-final, Carlo Ancelotti’s men wasted no time in showing their winning intent tonight, as Vinicius grabbed the game’s opener inside the first seven minutes of the encounter.
Jude Bellingham sent a perfect ball through for the Brazilian international, and he rounded Inaki Pena to slide in the first goal of the match before he grabbed the second three minutes later by sliding in at the back post to convert Rodrygo’s pass into the net.
Barcelona were handed a lifeline in the 33rd minute when Robert Lewandowski latched onto a loose ball to beat Lunin at the edge of the box, but their hopes were dashed as soon as it was renewed when Ronald Araújo conceded a penalty for pulling down Vinicius—A golden opportunity the winger calmly converted to complete his hat-trick and become the first Real Madrid player to score three goals in a single Super Cup match.
Vinícius Júnior is the first Brazilian to score a hat-trick against Barcelona for Real Madrid and the first player to score a Clásico hat-trick in the Supercopa de España.
It only took 39 minutes. 🎩 pic.twitter.com/ZBkKgtTP9I
— Squawka (@Squawka) January 14, 2024
In a bid to alter the game’s direction, Xavi Hernandez made a triple substitution in the early minutes of the second 45 minutes, but his side were further dealt with, as Real Madrid scored their fourth goal three minutes after the changes when Rodrygo capitalised on Koundé’s poor clearance with a superb finish.
The night got worse for the Blaugrana as Araujo received his marching orders for a foul on Vinicius—Making it easier for Real Madrid to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 21 matches and lift the Super Cup for the 13th time, seven of which were won in their last nine meetings against Barcelona.
REAL MADRID ARE SPANISH SUPER CUP CHAMPIONS 🏆
They've won SEVEN of NINE meetings against Barca in Spanish Super Cup final history 😮
DOMINANCE 👑 pic.twitter.com/RwiWankrxU
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 14, 2024
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