Yan Diomande earned Real Madrid a tight 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday to keep them six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, even though winger Vinicius Junior was sent off for hair-pulling. Jose Mourinho’s Madrid battled through the final stages with 10 men but held on to their slender lead earned by 19-year-old winger Diomande to go provisionally third. Brazil international Vinicius, on as a substitute, scored but his goal was disallowed and then he was dismissed after a VAR review showed he pulled the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba.
Brazil international Vinicius, on as a substitute, scored but his goal was disallowed and then he was dismissed after a VAR review showed he pulled the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba.
Champions Barca lead La Liga after a 3-0 win over Getafe, while Atletico Madrid are five points behind in second after they edged Alaves 2-1. Despite Madrid’s victory, Vinicius’s red card left a bitter taste for Los Blancos, with the winger running the risk of a potential ban which could keep him out of the Clasico on October 25. The Ivorian winger, Madrid’s record 140-million-euro ($157 million) signing, produced a sharp low finish into the far corner after good work from Federico Valverde to play him in.
“I don’t know what’s going on with the referees, with this red card, I don’t understand, but the most important thing is the victory,” said Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. Striker Kylian Mbappe was fit to start the match for Madrid at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium after suffering a knee problem playing for France during the international break. There were a smattering of whistles for the superstar forward, with some fans believing he has been unprofessional in recent weeks, but also applause from other supporters. There was some more mild whistling for Madrid’s display from their fans at half-time, but soon they were able to celebrate summer arrival Diomande’s first goal for the club. Mbappe was denied again by Hungarian goalkeeper Gulasci as the forward left the Bernabeu frustrated in his hunt for goals, although his team were able to clinch three important points to stay on Barca’s trail.
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.
