European club football
- Real Madrid 4:1 Barcelona
- Viníciu's hat-trick overwhelms Barça in one-sided final
In the end, Barcelona just wanted to get out of there and go home; any hope that had already been small enough had long since left them. Real Madrid would have liked to have stayed a little longer: first to keep playing, which they have done so well, and then to celebrate a success that suggests there is more to come, by completely destroying their biggest rivals.
A first-half hat-trick from Vinícius Júnior, two of which came within the first ten minutes, helped them to a 4-1 win and the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia – and ease really seems to be the right word.
Only three players have scored a Clásico hat-trick this century: Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema. Even Cristiano Ronaldo didn't do that, but that didn't stop Vinícius from paying tribute to him: at Al Awwal Park, Ronaldo's new home, the Brazilian celebrated his goals in the way the Portuguese did, a nod to the story one evening when he scored his own.
Winning his first trophy in Madrid was also significant for Jude Bellingham. It won't be his last or greatest – in all likelihood it won't even be his last of the season – and in truth he probably expected it to be; He might not have expected it to go so smoothly and be packed up so early.
Mo Salah's penalty saves Egypt from an injury-time draw against Mozambique
Even though the start was surprising, beating Barcelona before the clock reached double digits, it couldn't be dismissed as a coincidence or some unusual occurrence; It was more an expression of Madrid's superiority, another expression of a recurring problem for Barcelona, a systemic failure that repeated itself at the worst moment and with the worst opponent.
Against Granada, Xavi Hernández's team conceded their first goal after 17 seconds, against Alavés it was 18 and in Antwerp after 75. They conceded their first goal in the eighth, 12th and 12th minutes against Mallorca, Girona and Las Palmas, and in the 19th against Celta de Vigo. Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk took the lead in the first half.
Here Barcelona were one behind before the clock reached seven. They had conceded a third goal before half-time, but the prospect of Robert Lewandowski's goal sandwiched between Madrid's second and third quickly proved to be a mirage. A bit like their defense.
As Andreas Christensen left the line to team up with Frenkie de Jong to bring him down, Bellingham played a great pass into the space behind the foot of the hesitant Jules Koundé, allowing Vinícius to break through for the first time. Alone, the Brazilian Iñaki Peña circled, rolled the ball into the net, jumped into the air and performed a Siuuu.
The last “U” had barely faded away when he scored a second goal. Dani Carvajal released Rodrygo to set him up and he slid in and scored. Another Ronaldo Clásico celebration followed, this time with reference to the badge and the turf. I am here.
Rodrygo celebrates Real Madrid's last goal of the game. Photo: Juan Medina/Portal
He was too, repeatedly. It was Madrid's third one-on-one. Vinícius was unstoppable. Barcelona was open, chaotic and unable to exert real control. Even when they had moments of possession, they remained vulnerable and exposed. It's risky enough to play anyone that high; Doing this against Madrid and without Gavi or evidence of coordination or intensity is reckless.
If Barcelona were allowed to believe that Ferland Mendy's header fell and Lewandowski scored their 31st goal with a flawless volley – 27 of his 41 league points had, after all, been won in the final quarter of an hour – then these comebacks were not against Madrid and it did not last long. When Ronald Araújo sent Vinícius to the ground, the Brazilian got up, converted the penalty and made it 3-1 before half-time.
Barcelona needed something, anything, but had almost nothing. Just before half-time, Pedri shot the ball past the post and that was it. Madrid felt comfortable enough for occasional bursts of fun, which fans here liked more than Carlo Ancelotti, and waited for their moments without haste. No doubt about it either. Bellingham progressed well in this game, his footwork and physicality unassailable for his opponents. The fourth goal came just after the hour when Rodrygo finished off an intercepted pass from Vinícius towards Bellingham.
Barcelona had to do everything they could to avoid losing their minds completely and to limit the damage, which was already bad enough – and even more so when Araújo was sent off. Madrid still wasn't ready, or didn't want to be. They enjoyed releasing a pass from Aurélien Tchouaméni to Bellingham, but it was blocked by Peña. A great run from Brahim Díaz then brought him through, the ball eventually finding its way to Bellingham, whose shot was cleared off the line by Koundé. There were no more goals, but that was done; it had been like this almost from the beginning.
{{#Ticker}}
{{top left}}
{{bottom left}}
{{top right}}
{{bottom right}}
{{#goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/ticker}}
{{Headline}}
{{#paragraphs}}
{{.}}
{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}
One-time, monthly, yearly
Other
{{/choiceCards}}We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Watch for a message in your inbox. If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.