“(I’m) disappointed, sad… This is football and today we have to deal with the bitter side of the game,” Xavi told Movistar.
“We had a lot of expectations and excitement going into the finals and we had the worst game of them all.”
Xavi turned to a four-man midfield to try to keep the ball, with flying wingers Vinicius and Rodrygo reducing Madrid’s counter-attacking opportunities – this did not work.
Spain international Pedri started in place of winger Raphinha, who suffered a hamstring injury in the semi-final win over Osasuna.
Ancelotti included midfielder Toni Kroos, who was jeered by the crowd at Riyadh’s Al-Awwal Park stadium for criticizing players moving from Europe to the Saudi league, like in the thrilling semi-final derby win over Atletico Madrid.
One of the first was Cristiano Ronaldo and Vinicius’ celebration after opening the scoring in the seventh minute reminded him of that.
The Brazilian, who had recently returned from injury, was provided with a brilliant pass by Jude Bellingham and he easily headed past Iñaki Pena on goal.
Vinicius copied Ronaldo’s classic jump and spin celebration in tribute to Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer.
Three minutes later, Vinicius attacked again, this time Rodrigo took advantage of Barcelona’s high line and cut the ball back for his compatriot.
