Diomande Shines as Real Madrid Edge Villarreal to Keep La Liga Title Hopes Alive

Real Madrid’s win over Villarreal was overshadowed by a red card for Vinicius Jr, who was sent off for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair during the second half.

The incident happened in the 72nd minute, shortly after the Brazilian winger thought he had scored his second goal of the game. Jose Mourinho celebrated the goal from the sidelines, but the referee checked the incident on the pitchside monitor and disallowed it after spotting Vinicius pulling Saliba’s hair. The official then showed the Real Madrid forward a straight red card, just 20 minutes after he came on for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The decision angered Real Madrid, with Mourinho also missing the mandatory post-match news conference.

Before the controversial red card, Yan Diomande had given Real the lead in the 62nd minute. The 19-year-old scored his first goal for the club since arriving from RB Leipzig in August in a deal worth up to £120 million. His finish was initially ruled out for offside, but a VAR review allowed the goal to stand.

Meanwhile, other Madrid stars including Kylian Mbappe had a difficult night in front of goal, missing several opportunities and being denied by goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. Apart from him, Jude Bellingham also had a rough outing, as he received a yellow card after committing a foul.

With Barcelona beating Getafe 3-0 earlier in the day, the victory was important for Mourinho’s side as they looked to cut the gap at the top of La Liga points table.

After eight matches, Real Madrid sit six points behind archrivals Barcelona. The two sides are due to meet on October 25, giving Mourinho’s team a chance to make up ground in the title race.