Real Madrid hammer Barcelona to win Spanish Super Cup
What was supposed to be a a high-voltage showdown between the two great Spanish rivals instead become a lopsided affair, with Real Madrid thrashing Barcelona 4-1 to win the Spanish Super Cup
Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr was the toast of Madrid’s dominant performance, netting a first-half hat-trick to reduce the final to a no-contest
Rodrygo piled further misery on Barca with a goal shortly after the hour mark, while Robert Lewandowski was the only one among Xavi’s men who could beat Madrid keeper Lunin
Things went from bad to worse for Barcelona with Ronald Araujo getting sent off after receiving two yellow cards, both for rash tackles on Vinicius, reducing his team to 10 men
Madrid thus avenged their 3-1 defeat at the hands of their arch rivals in last year’s Super Cup final, which had also taken place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Madrid now have 13 titles, one shy Barcelona — the most successful team in the tournament’s history
For Xavi’s Barca, however, all’s not lost yet with three trophies still up for grabs this season — the UEFA Champions League, LaLiga and Copa del Rey