Real Madrid edged past Villarreal 1-0 in a chaotic La Liga encounter on Saturday, but the night ended in controversy after substitute Vinicius Jr was sent off for violent conduct following one of the strangest sequences of events seen in recent Spanish football.
Vinicius came off the bench in the 52nd minute to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold. Twenty minutes later he appeared to have doubled Madrid’s lead, sending his teammates into celebration and drawing manager Jose Mourinho off the touchline in jubilation. However, referee officials reviewed the build-up on the pitchside monitor and footage clearly showed Vinicius pulling the hair of Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba before scoring.
The goal was ruled out and the Brazilian was immediately shown a red card for violent conduct in the 72nd minute, leaving Real to see out the game with ten men.
The night had already been difficult before Vinicius’s dismissal. Real struggled to make an impression until teenager Yan Diomande broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute, his low finish into the far corner initially disallowed for offside before VAR overturned the decision.
The 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger, who joined from RB Leipzig for up to £120 million in August, marked his first goal for the club with a composed finish that ultimately proved the difference. Kylian Mbappe had a frustrating evening, wasting several good opportunities and being denied by goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. Jude Bellingham was also booked for a foul.
The win was not without cost. Mourinho was so incensed by the evening’s events that he declined to attend the obligatory post-match press conference. Barcelona had earlier beaten Getafe 3-0, meaning Real’s win only reduced the gap to the defending La Liga champions by three points. Madrid remain six points behind Barcelona after eight games with the Clasico at the Camp Nou scheduled for October 25.
