Real Madrid edge Villarreal 1-0 as Vinicius sent off for hair pull

Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday (local time) thanks to a goal from Yan Diomande, keeping them within six points of Barcelona in the La Liga table. However, the match was overshadowed by a red card for forward Vinicius Junior, who came on from the bench and was sent off after VAR detected him pulling the hair of Villarreal player Nathan Saliba.

Vinicius, the Brazilian star, had put the ball in the net but the goal was disallowed. After reviewing the incident via VAR, referee Isidro Diaz de Mera issued a direct red card for unsporting behavior during the buildup to the goal. Real Madrid had to play a man down in the closing minutes but held on for the win, temporarily moving up to third place.

Jose Mourinho's side started the match with forward Kylian Mbappe in the lineup after he recovered from a knee injury sustained while playing for France during the international break. Mbappe, a candidate for the Ballon d'Or to be awarded later this month, was Real Madrid's most dangerous player in the first half despite limited opposition. The forward received some whistles from the crowd, with a section of fans believing he has lacked professionalism in recent weeks, though there was also applause in support.

Mourinho decided to bench Vinicius, who had just returned from a tour with the Brazil national team in Australia and India, due to poor form. Real Madrid were more solid defensively, limiting Villarreal's chances, but struggled to build attacks in a lackluster first half. Mbappe hit the post from an Alvaro Carreras cross as Real Madrid pressed Villarreal early on. The visitors then regained control and limited Real Madrid's chances until Mbappe forced goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi into a good save.

The first half ended with a few mild whistles from the stands aimed at Real Madrid's performance. However, right after the break, fans had reason to celebrate Diomande's first goal for the club. The Ivory Coast winger, a record signing worth 140 million euros ($157 million), finished neatly into the far corner after a good assist from Federico Valverde.

Vinicius appeared to have doubled the lead after Jude Bellingham surged down the left and crossed for him. But the winger's joy quickly turned to anger when referee Isidro Diaz de Mera was called to the VAR monitor to review Vinicius pulling Saliba's hair in the buildup to the goal, resulting in his dismissal and the goal being chalked off.

Real Madrid's Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had made several smart saves earlier in the second half, produced another fine stop to deny Carlos Romero. Mbappe was once again denied by Hungarian goalkeeper Gulacsi as the forward left the Bernabeu frustrated in his search for a goal, though his team still claimed three important points to keep chasing Barcelona.

In other matches, defending champions Barcelona lead La Liga after a 3-0 win over Getafe, while Atletico Madrid are second, five points behind, after a 2-1 victory over Alaves.