Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga, but their win was overshadowed by a red card for Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian forward apologized to the club and fans after being sent off for pulling an opponent's hair.
According to match reports, Vinicius came on in the 52nd minute and was sent off just 20 minutes later. He thought he had scored Real Madrid's second goal, but the goal was disallowed after referee Isidro Diaz de Mera consulted VAR and determined that Vinicius had pulled the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba in the buildup to the goal. The referee overturned the goal and showed the 26-year-old a red card.
After the match, Vinicius posted an apology on social media: "Sorry to the team and the fans." Meanwhile, his teammates had to restrain him as he reacted angrily toward the referee. Referee Diaz de Mera wrote in his match report that after the red card, Vinicius "protested my decision, loudly, facing where I was standing with an aggressive attitude, and was held back by his teammates."
Villarreal defender Juan Foyth commented on the hair-pull on Saliba: "I don't think he meant to hurt anyone, but it's a red card."
Under the rules of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, pulling an opponent's hair is considered violent conduct. Article 130 of the competition's regulations sets the punishment for violent conduct that does not injure an opponent at a ban of one to three matches.
Real Madrid's next three La Liga matches are against Sevilla, Barcelona and Racing Santander. Missing the El Clasico against Barcelona would be a major blow for Vinicius. Coach Jose Mourinho did not attend the mandatory post-match press conference.
