“Three is not enough” - Florentino Perez reacts to Vinicius Jr’s hattrick against Barcelona
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 4-1 in the final of the Supercopa de Espana on Sunday, January 14.
Los Blancos rode on a brilliant hat-trick from Vinicius Jr. to register a comfortable win over a struggling Barca side.
With Madrid claiming the big win, club president Florentino Perez reacted by saying (via Madrid Xtra on X):
"I told Vini he should've scored more goals. 3 is NOT enough."
Playing in Riyadh, Vinicius opened the scoring in the seventh minute by running behind the defence early on after being fed by Jude Bellingham. He then proceeded to round Barca keeper Pena and then slotted the ball into an empty net.
The Brazilian winger doubled the lead in the 10th minute with a simple tap in after being squared in front of goal by Rodrygo on a brilliant counter attack. Robert Lewandowski halved the deficit for Barcelona in the 33rd minute with a brilliant low volley from outside the box.
Vinicius was then brought down inside the box by Barca defender Ronald Araujo after Aurelien Tchouameni sent in a cross to the far post. The Barca defender was penalized for the action with Real Madrid earning the chance to convert a spot-kick. Pena was unable to save Vinicius' consequent penalty despite diving the right way with Madrid restoring the two-goal cushion in the 39th minute.
Vinicius' first-half hat-trick was not the only joy Real Madrid received last night with fellow Brazilian Rodrygo converting a simple finish from a miscued clearance from Barca in the 64th minute. The game finally ended 4-1 in Real Madrid's favor.
Carlo Ancelotti wins his 11th trophy as Real Madrid manager
Real Madrid won their first trophy of the season, their 11th under Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian gaffer is one of the legendary managers in the game and has won leagues in multiple countries along with multiple European trophies as well.
His team are in contention to win the league as well, where they are currently second in the standings, just one point behind Girona with a game in hand. Real also boast a perfect record in the Champions League group stage.
Ancelotti chose to remain classy in his post-match presser and even criticized his players for not being respectful to their opponents during the match.
He said (via The Athletic)
"The scoreline was a bit harsh, for how Barca had played. Things got a bit heated at the end. I don't like backheels. I said it to Vinicius and to Bellingham, we did not need to do those."
Madrid's next game is a Copa Del Rey Round of 16 clash against local rivals Atletico Madrid on January 18.