Ancelotti ‘on cloud nine’ as Real outclass Barca
A quickfire hattrick from Vinicius Jr. within 40 minutes elevated Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti "on cloud nine" as Los Blancos clinched the Spanish Super Cup after a 4-1 humiliation of arch-rivals Barcelona in Saudi Arabia yesterday (Bangladesh time).
Fellow Brazilian Rodrygo rounded off Real Madrid's rout as they won the competition for the 13th time, avenging last year's final defeat by record 14-time winners Barcelona.
The triumph also sees Ancelotti equal Zinedine Zidane's tally of eleven trophies as a Real Madrid manager, further cementing his place as one of the most influential coaches in the club's illustrious history.
"The best thing is to enjoy this moment and be focused on what is coming… I am on cloud nine. But you can also come down from the clouds. I will come down and you will be there," Ancelotti said after the match.
Despite having been the European champions in 2022, Ancelotti was under pressure after Real crashed out from the Champions League semifinals in the following season.
With a sustained dependency on several all-conquering aging campaigners in the ranks, such as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema -- who eventually left for Saudi Pro League -- it was reported that Real Madrid high-ups were displeased with Ancelotti regarding the passing of baton from the veterans to the aspiring superstars.
The former AC Milan and Chelsea coach, however, had dismissed any concerns about the transition, stating that it had been going smoothly even before he arrived to lead the Spanish giants in his second term with the club, beginning in 2021 after a two-year spell from 2013-15.
"This transition has already begun, before I arrived. This squad, which has achieved great things, extraordinary things, started to lose pieces, like Cristiano [Ronaldo] in 2018. Young players of great quality have started to arrive," the Italian had said with conviction.
Whatever shred of a doubt may have remained, all of it must have vanquished with how the new batch of superstars-in-the-making displayed a masterclass on one of the biggest nights of the season.
As Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Vinicius created havoc for a Barcelona defence that were playing with an extremely high line, Real dominated every aspect of the game and toyed with last year's champions. Barca ended the contest with 10 men after defender Ronald Araujo was sent off for a second booking in the 71st minute after two fouls on the Vinicius.
Earlier, it only took Real seven minutes to draw first blood, thanks to a magnificent assist by Bellingham. Their second came from another long pass, this time with Dani Carvajal finding Rodrygo in the right channel, which led to a Vinicius tap-in in the 10th minute.
Yet Barca were resilient and managed to reduce the deficit with a fine Lewandowski strike from another rebound in the 33rd minute. The momentum was seemingly in Barca's favour but after Vinicius converted a penalty in the 39th minute, Real went on to dominate the second half with Rodrygo hitting their fourth from a rebound in the 64th minute.
"We wanted to win and we did it with merit. We didn't start very well, but we found Vinícius in an extraordinary moment and, from there, another one started. Barcelona managed the ball, looked for opportunities and, until 4-1, it was open. We tried to control it, without pressing too high. It was a complete match and we are very happy," said Ancelotti.
The loss will increase the pressure on Barca manager Xavi, who has faced criticism from fans and media who are unhappy with the team's form as the Catalan side remain seven points adrift of second-placed Real Madrid in LaLiga.
"We have not shown the level required for a match like this. We played our worst game. We weren't comfortable at any point," Xavi said.
HIGHLIGHT QUOTE
"The best thing is to enjoy this moment and be focused on what is coming… I am on cloud nine. But you can also come down from the clouds. I will come down and you will be there," Carlo Ancelotti said after equalling Zinedine Zidane's tally of eleven trophies as a Real Madrid manager.