Vinicius sent off for hair pull as Madrid beat Villarreal

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 10 Oct, 23:07 · Archive

Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 but Vinicius Junior was sent off for pulling an opponent's hair after his goal was disallowed.

Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 1-0 to provisionally go third in La Liga, keeping them six points behind leaders Barcelona. The match was decided by Yan Diomandé's goal, with Madrid defending for the final stages with ten men after a controversial incident involving substitute Vinicius Junior.

Vinicius entered the pitch in the second half and appeared to have scored after 72 minutes. However, VAR intervened and disallowed the goal after reviewing footage that showed Vinicius pulling the hair of Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba as he ran into the opposition half. Following the disallowed goal, Vinicius was shown a red card and dismissed from the field. According to reports, this was the first time VAR had overturned a goal and issued a red card simultaneously in the same incident.

Vinicius reacted angrily to the dismissal, reportedly chasing referee Isidro Díaz de Mer before leaving the pitch. José Mourinho's side had to see out the remainder of the match down to ten men but held on to secure victory. Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni expressed confusion about the decision, saying 'I don't know what's going on with the referees, with this red card, I don't understand,' though he stressed the importance of the victory.

Kylian Mbappé started the match after recovering from a knee injury sustained playing for France during the international break. He was Madrid's most threatening player in an otherwise drab first half, striking the post from Alvaro Carreras's pass. Mbappé received a mixed reception from supporters, with some whistles but also applause.

Mourinho had started Vinicius on the bench following trips to Australia and India with Brazil during the international break. The red card leaves Vinicius at risk of a potential ban that could rule him out of El Clásico against Barcelona on 25 October.

How it is being reported

• Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 but Vinicius sent off for hair pullReal Madrid forward Vinicius Junior sent off for pulling Villarreal player's hair in 1-0 La Liga victory.Al Jazeera · 10 Oct, 22:40
• Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior sent off for hair pulling in victory over VillarrealYan Diomandé earned Real Madrid a tight 1-0 victory over Villarreal to keep them six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, even though winger Vinícius Júnior was sent off for hair pulling. Vinícius, on as a substitute, scored but his goal was disallowed and then he was dismissed after a VAR review showed he had pulled the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba. Continue reading...Guardian Football · 10 Oct, 22:38
• Jose Mourinho embarrassed and Vinicius Jr sent off in incredible Real Madrid hair pull dramaReal Madrid ace Vinicius Junior went mad after being shown a red card for pulling their hair of his opponent and seeing his goal cancelled out against VillarrealMirror Sport · 10 Oct, 22:26

In this story: Vinicius Junior · Real Madrid · Villarreal · Nathan Saliba · Jose Mourinho · Yan Diomandé · Kylian Mbappé · Barcelona

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