'He'll be fundamental for us' - Xabi Alonso defends 'very dangerous' Vinicius Junior after Real Madrid winger whistled by fans in win over Real Betis

Madrid, who were without the injured Kylian Mbappe, made a statement of intent with their thumping La Liga win over Betis on Sunday. A hat-trick from 21-year-old Gonzalo Garcia, along with goals from Raul Asencio and Fran Garcia, kept Los Blancos within four points of rivals Barcelona. And Alonso was clearly delighted with his team's display. 

He told reporters, "It was an important and well-deserved win to start the year at home. It's important to start like this: calmly and with good feelings heading into the Super Cup. I value the victory in terms of La Liga. Barcelona won yesterday, and we have to win a lot of games. It was the last match of the first half of the season, and we've already reached 45 points. That would put us at 90 in La Liga. The average has to be winning many games in the remaining fixtures. The pace is going to be intense for what's to come. From tomorrow onwards, we're only thinking about the Super Cup."

Although Vinicius Jr did not have his best game for Madrid, Alonso was quick to support the Brazil international, stressing he was "very dangerous" against the visitors. 

When asked about the negative treatment he received from some fans, he replied: "I think Vini contributed a lot. He started the game well, he got [Ortiz] booked, so they had to change right-back. [Vini] was very dangerous, especially in the first half. He keeps going, he contributes to the team. I liked Vini's game, personally. He'll be fundamental for us now as we go to the Supercopa with the game against Atletico."

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While Vinicius Jr is now on a 15-game run without scoring, dating back to early October, Garcia bagged his first goals of the season - something Alonso was thrilled about. 

"Gonzalo had a dream game," the former Liverpool midfielder said. "Playing at the Bernabéu, in his first season with the first team, scoring a hat trick. I'm really happy for him, with the work he does every day, whether it's his turn to play or not. He always has an impressive attitude. He's a great example of what a Real Madrid academy player is."

Garcia himself could not hide his excitement at his treble for Madrid. 

"It's a special afternoon," Garcia said. "I'm very, very happy to start the year like this. It's my first hat trick at the Bernabéu. This is Real Madrid. There's so much competition here. I know I'm the natural replacement for [Kylian] Mbappé, but the boss and my teammates always give me confidence."

Next up for Alonso's side is a semi-final Super Cup clash with Atletico Madrid on Thursday, with the winner facing either Barcelona or Athletic Club in the competition's final a few days later. After that, they return to La Liga action on January 17 at home to Levante.