Real Madrid Rout Barcelona 4-1 In Spanish Super Cup Final

RIYADH: Vinícius Júnior did his best Cristiano Ronaldo impression in Saudi Arabia, scoring a hat trick and leading Real Madrid to a 4-1 rout of Barcelona and the Spanish Super Cup trophy.

Vinícius scored his three goals in the first half as Madrid beat Barcelona to lift its first trophy of the season on Sunday. After his first goal, the Brazil forward imitated the trademark celebration of the former Madrid great, with Ronaldo reportedly at the Riyadh stadium.

“It was for Cris, because he is my idol and now he is playing here,” said Vinícius, who was named the best player of the final. “I’m very happy with myself and with my team. It’s not easy to play against Barcelona and to win 4-1 is tough. We played an almost perfect match.”

Rodrygo also scored for Madrid, which now has 13 Super Cup trophies, one less than the Catalan club. It was Madrid’s second Super Cup triumph since the tournament was moved to Saudi Arabia four years ago. Robert Lewandowski scored Barcelona’s goal to make it 2-1 in the first half.

The “clasico” between the Spanish powerhouses was a rematch of last year’s Super Cup final that Barcelona won 3-1 for its first trophy with coach Xavi Hernández and without Lionel Messi.

Madrid had also won at Barcelona in the first “clasico” of the season in October in the Spanish league.

Barcelona played a man down from the 71st after defender Ronald Araujo was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Vinícius. Madrid was already winning 4-1 at the time.

The victory added to Madrid’s momentum as Carlo Ancelotti’s team remains unbeaten in 21 consecutive games in all competitions. Its last setback was a 3-1 loss at Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league in September.

In contrast, the defeat adds to Barcelona’s troubles and increases the pressure on Xavi, whose team hasn’t played well recently. It trails second-place Madrid by seven points in the Spanish league, with Catalan opponent Girona another point ahead at the top having played an extra game.

“We are disappointed and sad,” Xavi said. “We were hopeful of another victory, but in the end it was our worst match. We didn’t get off to a good start and were never comfortable. We have to congratulate Madrid because it deserved to win.”