Real Madrid ground out a 1-0 win over Villarreal at the Bernabéu to stay six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, but the night was overshadowed by Vinícius Júnior’s dismissal for pulling an opponent’s hair.
Yan Diomandé settled the match with the only goal, a sharp low finish into the far corner, after good work from Federico Valverde played him in. It was a first goal for the club for the Ivorian winger, Madrid’s record signing and a summer arrival.
The game turned after Vinícius, introduced as a substitute, thought he had doubled Madrid’s lead. Jude Bellingham charged down the left and cut the ball back for him to score, but the referee, Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos, was called to the pitchside monitor by VAR to review a hair pull by Vinícius on Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba in the buildup. The goal was disallowed and the Brazilian was sent off, with Antonio Rüdiger having to hold him back.
The red card leaves Vinícius at risk of a ban that could keep him out of El Clásico on 25 October. “I don’t know what’s going on with the referees, with this red card, I don’t understand,” said the Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni. “But the most important thing is the victory.”
Kylian Mbappé was fit to start for Madrid after suffering a knee problem while playing for France during the international break. There were a smattering of whistles for the forward, with some supporters believing he has been unprofessional in recent weeks, but applause from others too. Mbappé, a candidate for the Ballon d’Or later this month, was Madrid’s most threatening player in the first half, though he had little competition.
José Mourinho started with an out-of-form Vinícius on the bench, following the winger’s trips to Australia and India with Brazil during the international break. Madrid improved defensively and gave Villarreal few chances of note, but struggled to build much in attack themselves in a drab opening half. Mbappé struck the post from Álvaro Carreras’s lay-off as Madrid pushed Villarreal back early on, and later forced a good save from Peter Gulacsi. Villarreal soon gained a foothold and restricted Madrid’s opportunities, and there was more mild whistling from the home fans at half-time.
The closing stages were tense. Madrid’s Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had made a couple of smart saves earlier in the half, produced an acrobatic stop to thwart Carlos Romero. Mbappé was denied again by the Hungarian goalkeeper Gulacsi, leaving the forward frustrated in his hunt for goals, but his team held on with 10 men to claim three important points, provisionally moving up to third and keeping on Barcelona’s trail.