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Real Madrid cruised to a 4-1 victory over rivals 10-man Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final tonight (January 14) with Vinicius Junior grabbing his first El Clasico hat-trick.
Los Blancos took the lead in the seventh minute when Jude Bellingham and Vinicius linked up. The English superstar broke free of Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan before threading an eye-of-the-needle pass through to his Brazilian teammate.
Vinicius took the ball in his stride, rounding Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena before slotting into an empty net. It was a dream start for Carlo Ancelotti's men at KSU Stadium.
It got even better three minutes later when Vinicius grabbed himself a brace. Rodrygo ventured forward into the Blaugrana box before finding his Selecao compatriot at the far post who slid to guide the ball home. Xavi looked on in dismay as his side were being torn to shreds.
Barcelona looked to respond in the 12th minute and his the woodwork through Ferran Torres. The Spanish attacker's half-volley rattled the crossbar before Robert Lewandowski had his shot tipped over by Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
The Catalan giants were showing fighting spirit and got themselves back into the game in the 33rd minute. Lewandowski produced a moment of magic, firing a cool volley past Lunin into the Ukrainian shot-stopper's bottom corner.
However, Barca's hopes of turning things around came to a grinding halt in the 37th minute. Vinicius was pulled to the ground by Ronald Araujo in the Blaugrana box. Referee Juan Martinez Munuera had no choice but to point to the spot while also giving the Uruguay international a yellow card.
Vinicius stepped up to try and secure his side's third of the night and a hat-trick. He did so with aplomb, driving the ball home and past Pena who'd dived the right way.
Barcelona struggled to deal with Real Madrid's scintillating attack and they didn't show much improvement in the second half. Vinicius continued to give Xavi's men all sorts of problems and he went close with a curling effort in the 60th minute.
Madrid put the game to bed in the 64th minute when Rodrygo got himself on the scoresheet. Vinicius initially tried playing the ball to Bellingham but it fell to his fellow Brazilian countryman who made no mistake in smashing home his side's fourth.
Things went from bad to worse for Barcelona in the 71st minute when Araujo was handed his marching orders for a second bookable offense. He could have no complaints after a clumsy foul on Vinicius who grinned once seeing the red card being produced.
It was a dominant display from Madrid that only heaps more pressure on Xavi. One fan thinks the Spanish coach should be heading for the exit door:
"Sack XAVI immediately, we deserve someone better!!! (Ernesto) Valverde wasn’t even this bad."
Another fan tipped Vinicius to win the Ballon d'Or:
"Just give Vini the Ballon D’or already."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted as Real Madrid won the Supercopa against Barca:
Vinicius snubbed Barcelona before moving to Real Madrid
Vinicius put in one of his most impressive performances in Real Madrid colors during their victory against Barcelona tonight. The Brazil international took his overall tally for Los Blancos to 68 goals and as many assists in 240 games since arriving in 2018.
That said, he could have been playing for his side's El Clasico rivals tonight if he'd chosen to head to Camp Nou instead of the Santiago Bernabeu. He had the opportunity to do so when leaving Brazilian outfit Palmeiras five years ago.
Vinicius revealed in 2019 that Barca as well as Real Madrid had made an offer for him. He claimed that his father urged him to follow his heart (via GOAL):
"I had proposals from Real Madrid and Barcelona. My father told me that I had to choose and follow my heart."
The 23-year-old decided to join Los Merengues, a decision that has led to him becoming one of their protagonists. He's popped up with some vital goals over the years, including the winner in his side's 1-0 win against Liverpool in the 2022 UEFA Champions League final.
