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Real Madrid defeated Clasico rivals Barcelona 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Vinicius Junior in the first half.
Vinicius scored twice in three minutes to get Los Blancos off to a flying start at Riyadh’s KSU Stadium.
Robert Lewandowski cut the deficit in half just past the half-hour mark. Vinicius scored his third goal of the game with a composed penalty kick.
After Rodrygo added a fourth goal, Barcelona’s situation worsened when Ronald Araujo was sent off for a second bookable offense.
With Barcelona’s spirit broken, Real Madrid breezed through the rest of the game to claim their third Super Cup title in five seasons, while their opponents will reflect on a third consecutive in competitive Clasicos.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side picked up where they left off in Wednesday’s extra-time win over Atletico Madrid, making a quick start to take the lead within seven minutes of the first whistle.
Vinicius latched onto Jude Bellingham’s defense-splitting pass before rounding Inaki Pena and rolling the ball into the net.
Real Madrid quickly added to their lead after scoring an early goal, leaving Barcelona with a mountain to climb.
Rodrygo raced into the box after Dani Carvajal’s long pass forward, cut the ball across. Vinicius finished from close range as the result.
Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona
Following their archrivals’ two-goal lead, Barcelona came agonizingly close to responding immediately when Lewandowski forced Andriy Lunin into a smart save after Ferran Torres rattled the crossbar.
Lunin, who had replaced Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Real Madrid goal, denied Lewandowski for the second time, making a near-post save as the game approached the half-hour mark.
In the 33rd minute, the experienced Barcelona forward beat Lunin with a powerful volley after pouncing on Ferland Mendy’s headed clearance.
Referee Juan Martinez Munuera pointed to the spot, ruling that Ronald Araujo had pulled Vinicius back into the box, just as the Calatan giants thought they had established a foothold.
Vinicius showed great composure after picking himself up off the floor to stroke home the subsequent spot-kick to complete his second hat-trick of his Real Madrid career.
Los Blancos put an end to any faint hopes of a Barcelona comeback when Rodrygo pounced on a loose ball and fired past Pena.
Barcelona’s disastrous evening took another turn for the worse when Araujo was shown a second yellow card for fouling Vinicius, reducing his team to 10 players for the remainder of the game.
Bellingham nearly added insult to injury, but Jules Kounde’s goalline clearance kept his left-foot strike out.
As Real Madrid cruised to a dominant 4-1 win and their first trophy of the season, substitute Joao Felix drew a smart save from Lunin in the game’s final meaningful moment of action.
After the festivities, Los Blancos will prepare for a Copa del Rey match against city rivals Atletico Madrid, while Xavi’s side will try to avoid an upset against third-tier Unionistas.
