Vinicius Jr's Final: 'Dried Out' by Koundé and Once Again Forgiven from Expulsion

Vinicius Jr.'s performance in the Supercopa de España final reflected the frustration of Real Madrid against an infinitely superior FC Barcelona (2-5). The winger was 'dried out' by Jules Koundé on the wing and ended up once again frustrated, booked, and forgiven from expulsion by Jesús Gil Manzano, who had a disastrous refereeing performance in Jeddah. 

The Brazilian saw yellow in the 55th minute for protesting the foul for which Szczesny ended up being sent off. True to his habit, the '7' launched himself at Gil Manzano, loudly demanding a review of the play. Although the winger was right, as the Polish player's tackle on Kylian Mbappé was clear, he again exceeded his protests. 13 minutes later, the main referee overlooked a harsh tackle by 'Vini' on Koundé that not only warranted a second yellow but a straight red.

Vinicius went directly with his studs onto the right heel of the Barça full-back, who had complete control of the ball. Fortunately, the forward's stamp did not injure the Frenchman, one of Barça's standout players in the final. Despite the protests from the entire Barça bench, unlike the play involving Szczesny, this time there was no VAR call. In the first half, Eduardo Camavinga was also spared a red card on two occasions.

Vinicius, Disappeared and Booed in Jeddah

For the Brazilian, the day was particularly tough, as he was the worst of the 'merengue' attacking trio. Both Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo managed to score, although a gross error from the '11' opened the door to the fourth Barça goal just before halftime. In the 76 minutes he was on the field, 'Vini' barely completed 11 of 19 passes (58 %), while in individual duels he won 3 and lost 6.

The player from São Gonçalo left without even taking a shot on goal, and amidst the white team's confusion trying to improve the score, 'Carletto' preferred to take him off in the final quarter of an hour, also anticipating a second yellow that was imminent. To make matters worse, the winger received loud boos on the three occasions he was focused on the cameras at the King Abdullah Sports City, already on the bench and with a serious expression. The forward looked out of sorts during the award ceremony and, like most of the 'merengue' players, left the stadium without speaking to the press.