La Liga leaders Real Madrid squared off against their bitterest rivals and Spanish champions Barcelona in the final of the Supercopa de Espana at the Al-Awwal Stadium on Sunday night (January 14). The game, a replay of last season’s Supercopa de Espana final, offered exhilarating action for all fans to enjoy, but it was the Madridistas who went home with a grin on their faces. Buoyed by a superb hat-trick by Vinicius Jr., Los Blancos cruised to a 4-1 victory in Riyadh, clinching their 13th Supercopa de Espana title.
Real Madrid No. 7 Vinicius Jr. Toys With Barcelona Defense
Unlike in last season’s Supercopa de Espana final, which ended 3-1 in Barcelona’s favor, Real Madrid did not let their rivals settle. The Blaugrana still dominated possession as expected, but the Whites carried a much bigger goalscoring threat throughout the game.
It took Real Madrid just seven minutes to find a way past Barcelona’s poorly organized backline. Under pressure from two Barcelona defenders, Jude Bellingham played a through-ball for Vinicius Jr. to chase. Having beaten Barca’s offside trap with ease, the 23-year-old took control of the ball, side-stepped the onrushing Inaki Pena, and rolled the ball into an empty net. Scoring the opener in superb style, Vinicius Jr. paid homage to Al-Awwal’s local boy and Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo by hitting his icon ‘Siuu’ celebration.
In the 10th minute, Vinicius got on the scoresheet once more, again thanks to Barca’s lackluster defending. Dani Carvajal picked out Rodrygo with a superb long ball down the line. The Brazilian, comfortably evading the offside trap, darted into the box before squaring it off to his compatriot Vinicius Jr. at the far post. From point-blank range, the No. 7 guided the ball into the back of the net, putting Madrid 2-0 up.
Robert Lewandowski scored Barcelona’s only goal of the game in the 33rd minute, dispatching a sweet volley from outside the box to find the bottom-right corner. The goal looked ominous for Madrid, but the Catalans uncharacteristically failed to build onto it. Six minutes after Lewandowski’s goal, Ronald Araujo grabbed Vinicius Jr. inside the box, giving away a penalty. The jet-heeled winger dispatched the penalty with aplomb to complete the second hat-trick of his career and restore Madrid’s two-goal cushion.
A Dominant Display By Los Blancos
Real Madrid did not take their foot off the pedal in the second half, creating one chance after another to extend their lead. Their efforts finally paid dividends in the 64th minute, with Rodrygo netting the final goal of the game from a deflected Vinicius Jr. pass.
Things went from bad to worst for Barca in the second half, as their skipper Araujo saw a second yellow for a reckless tackle on Vinicius. Brahim Diaz, Federico Valverde, Bellingham, and Aurelian Tchouameno all tried to get the fifth goal, but Barcelona somehow avoided further embarrassment.
The gulf between the two teams was there for everyone to see on Sunday. Barcelona had more possession than Madrid, but had fewer shots (18 vs 12), created fewer big chances (5 vs 1), took fewer touches inside the opposition box (36 vs 26), and even won fewer duels (41 vs 38). Xavi must return to the drawing board after the defeat in Riyadh, while Carlo Ancelotti can rest assured knowing he has a championship-winning side in his hands.
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