Real Madrid edged past Villarreal 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu, with a debut goal from new signing Yan Diomandé proving decisive despite the match being overshadowed by Vinícius Júnior's controversial sending-off. The victory kept José Mourinho's side within six points of La Liga leaders Barcelona and lifted them provisionally into third place.
Mourinho opted to leave Vinícius on the bench at kickoff, with the Brazilian returning from international duty with Brazil, which included appearances in Australia and India, and having shown indifferent club form recently. Kylian Mbappé, meanwhile, was passed fit to start after picking up a knee concern while on international duty with France, despite a mixed reception from parts of the home crowd who appeared unimpressed with his recent conduct. Others in the stadium applauded the forward, a contender for this year's Ballon d'Or.
The first half was a cagey affair, with Madrid tightening up defensively but offering little going forward. Mbappé was the home side's most dangerous outlet, striking the post after a lay-off from Álvaro Carreras, and later forcing a save out of Villarreal goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. Villarreal grew into the contest as the half progressed, limiting Madrid's attacking opportunities and drawing some frustrated whistles from the home support at the break.
The deadlock was broken shortly after halftime when Diomandé, Madrid's record summer signing, latched onto a pass from Federico Valverde and slotted a precise low finish into the far corner for his first goal in Madrid colors.
Vinícius was introduced from the bench and appeared to have doubled the lead after converting a cutback from Jude Bellingham, who had driven forward down the left flank. However, the celebration was short-lived. A VAR review flagged an incident in the buildup where Vinícius had pulled the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba. Referee Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos was called to the pitchside monitor, disallowed the goal, and issued Vinícius a straight red card.
The dismissal leaves Madrid facing an anxious wait to discover whether their winger will be suspended for the upcoming El Clásico against Barcelona on October 25, a blow given his importance to the squad.
Playing with ten men for the closing stages, Madrid were forced into a defensive battle to protect their narrow advantage. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had already produced a couple of key saves earlier in the match, pulled off an acrobatic stop to deny Carlos Romero and preserve the clean sheet. At the other end, Mbappé continued to search for a breakthrough goal of his own but was denied once more by Gulacsi before the final whistle.
Despite securing the win, the mood around the result was tempered by the controversy surrounding Vinícius. Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni voiced his confusion over the officiating decision after the match. "I don't know what's going on with the referees, with this red card, I don't understand," he said. "But the most important thing is the victory."
The result allows Madrid to maintain pressure on Barcelona at the top of the table, though questions over Vinícius's potential ban and the team's attacking fluidity in Mbappé's absence of goals will linger heading into the next round of fixtures.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.