Real Madrid emerged victorious in the Spanish Super Cup final against rivals Barcelona, with Vinicius Junior leading the charge by scoring a hat-trick in the first half. Barcelona’s night took a turn for the worse as defender Ronald Araujo was sent off in the second half.
Real Madrid sealed their 13th Super Cup title and sought redemption from last year’s final defeat against Barcelona, who are the record 14-time winners of the competition.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised Vinicius for his outstanding performance, stating that it took him a few games to regain his top form.
Ancelotti’s trophy count now matches that of Zinedine Zidane, with both coaches having won 11 titles at the helm of Los Blancos, trailing only Miguel Munoz with 14. Despite the convincing victory, Ancelotti acknowledged that Barcelona put up a tough fight and believed the result was more favorable than expected.
Barcelona, on the other hand, were left disappointed and are hoping to bounce back from this defeat to salvage their season. Sergi Roberto expressed his frustration at the loss and emphasized the need to learn from it, while acknowledging the impact of Vinicius’ early goals on the outcome of the game.
Barcelona coach Xavi attempted to control the game by employing a four-man midfield to limit Real Madrid’s counter-attacking opportunities, but it proved ineffective against the dynamic duo of Vinicius and Rodrygo.
Pedri, the Spain international, was given the starting position instead of Raphinha, who unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury during the victorious semi-final match against Osasuna.
In the match against Atletico Madrid, manager Ancelotti decided to bring in midfielder Toni Kroos, who faced jeers from the spectators at the Al-Awwal Park stadium in Riyadh due to his criticism of players moving to the Saudi league from Europe.
The game saw an early goal from Vinicius, who celebrated by imitating Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic jump and spin celebration, paying tribute to Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer. Despite Barcelona coach Xavi’s attempt to maintain possession and limit Madrid’s counter-attacking opportunities with a four-man midfield, it proved unsuccessful.
AFP
