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Vinicius Junior was up for the occasion on Sunday, scoring a first half hattrick for Real Madrid as they went on to beat longtime rival Barcelona 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup.

The Brazilian star got started quickly in Saudi Arabia, giving his side the lead just seven minutes in. Near the halfway line, Jude Bellingham played a smart pass through traffic to Vinicius, who then dashed towards goal. Though his first touch was heavy, he was able to catch up to the ball with no one around him and outmaneuvered Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena to score from an angle.

Three minutes later, he scored again. Dani Carvajal's long pass down the right flank found Rodrygo, and he went on a run for goal. Despite finding a nice opening for himself, he instead noticed Vinicius Junior's well-timed run to his left and sent the ball his way, allowing him to complete a brace from close range.

Vinicius Junior's third came courtesy of a penalty in the 39th minute, when Ronald Araujo pulled him down in the box to concede the spotkick. The Real Madrid star sent the ball to his left and slipped into the goal before Pena had a chance to stop it, making the score 3-1 after Robert Lewandowski scored for the opposition.

Barcelona dominated possession in the second half but did very little in front of goal and despite building some momentum, it was Real Madrid who scored again. This time it was a 64th minute strike from Rodrygo, who pounced  on a deflection in the box after solid build-up play to score from close range.

Things got worse for Barcelona in the 72nd minute when Araujo picked up a second yellow card for kicking Vinicius Junior's heels.

In the process of winning their first trophy of the season, Real Madrid extend their unbeaten run to 21 games in all competitions and continue to showcase their argument as one of Europe's best teams this season. They will no doubt aim to add to their trophy cabinet this season -- they are fully in the race to win La Liga and are still competing in both the Champions League and Copa del Rey this season.

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