The Brazilian turned in an attacking masterclass in Riyadh to seal the first silverware of the campaign for Los Blancos
Vinicius Jr dominated on the wing, and the Barcelona defence swiftly collapsed as Real Madrid battered their bitter rivals in the Supercopa final on Sunday. The Brazil forward scored a first-half hat-trick and played a virtuosic role in an easy 4-1 victory.
Madrid took an early lead, with Jude Bellingham acting as provider as he swivelled through the Barca midfield before sending Vinicius through, who in turn rounded Inaki Pena before finishing into an open net. He then needed just two minutes to grab his second, as Vinicius was handed a simple tap-in at the back post after Rodrygo played a wonderful pass into space.
But Barca struck back, as Robert Lewandowski smashed a volley past a sprawling Andriy Lunin from the edge of the box. Madrid responded soon after, though, as Vinicius converted from the penalty spot after Ronald Araujo dragged him down inside the box.
Rodrygo then put the contest beyond doubt in the second half, as Vinicius' incisive cross fell into the path of his compatriot for an easy finish. An Araujo red card — earned for a second booking after a silly foul on Vinicius — only gave Madrid more comfort, and by the end, they were simply pinging it around, strolling to one of the easiest Clasico wins in recent memory.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Al-Awwal Stadium in Riyadh…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Andriy Lunin (7/10):
Could do admittedly little about the Barca goal. Made a neat save or two otherwise. He's the first-choice now, it seems.
Dani Carvajal (7/10):
A bit more defensive than usual, but went about his work well. Nullified the pace of Balde.
Antonio Rudiger (8/10):
Didn't seem to be the easiest match-up, but he hardly put a foot wrong. Won his duels, kept Lewandowski away from goal and kept the ball moving.
Nacho (6/10):
Unspectacular, but serviceable at the back.
Ferland Mendy (6/10):
Solid against Torres, but had a much harder time when faced with the trickery of Yamal.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield
Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):
Tackled well, plugged gaps, and kept Pedri relatively quiet. Put in a few silly challenges, though.
Toni Kroos (8/10):
Pinged the ball around for most of the proceedings — despite the boos from the natives. A class act.
Federico Valverde (7/10):
All about the running from a player reinvented this year. Made life difficult for De Jong, which proved crucial.
Jude Bellingham (8/10):
Provided a lovely assist for Vinicius' first. Composed in possession in an advanced role, and put in the hard yards, too.
Getty ImagesAttack
Rodrygo (8/10):
Scampered in behind with regularity, and gave Balde nightmares throughout. Scored one and set one up.
Vinicius Jr (10/10):
Dominant from the first minute as he caused problems for the Barca defence with his pace and trickery. Took his first goal well, made no mistake on the second, and never looked like missing from the spot for his hat-trick. Doubled his Clasico goal tally in one night, and drew both bookings that led to Araujo's red.
Getty ImagesSubs & Manager
Brahim Diaz (7/10):
Almost scored a lovely goal right after coming on. Looked dangerous on the ball.
Luka Modric (N/A):
Unfair to be able to bring him off the bench — even if he had very little time to make an impact.
Eduardo Camavinga (N/A):
Offered defensive solidity for a few minutes.
Dani Ceballos (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Joselu (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Carlo Ancelotti (8/10):
Kept things simple, with Bellingham, Rodrygo and Vinicius running the contest from the first minute. He will have a complaint or two about some of Madrid's defending, but this was a comfortable win against their biggest rivals. Is this the first of many trophies this season?