Real Madrid Scrape Past Villarreal as Vinícius Is Sent Off for Pulling Opponent’s Hair

Al-Taj News – Diomande gave Real Madrid a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Villarreal, keeping the team six points behind Barcelona despite Vinícius’s sending-off at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Diomande, Real Madrid’s most expensive signing in the club’s history, scored his first goal in a Real Madrid shirt since joining the club from German side Leipzig, with a low shot from inside the box following a pass from Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde.

Vinícius, who came on as a substitute, scored a goal in the 71st minute that was later disallowed after a review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), which showed him pulling the hair of Villarreal’s Canadian midfielder Nathan Saliba in the 73rd minute.

Real Madrid, under Portuguese coach José Mourinho, battled through the final minutes with ten players but managed to preserve their lead and secure all three points, temporarily moving up to second place.

Kylian Mbappé started the match despite having suffered a knee problem while with the French national team during the international break. However, he missed several easy chances to score when through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.