Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior was sent off for pulling the hair of Villarreal player Nathan Saliba during a 1-0 victory in La Liga on Saturday. Yan Diomande scored the only goal of the match, keeping Real Madrid six points behind league leaders Barcelona. Vinicius, who came on as a substitute, had a goal disallowed before receiving a red card after a VAR review confirmed the foul. Despite playing with 10 men, Real Madrid managed to secure the win, moving provisionally into third place in the league standings.
Barcelona maintained their lead in La Liga with a 3-0 win over Getafe, while Atletico Madrid sits in second place after a 2-1 victory against Alaves. Kylian Mbappe returned to the starting lineup for Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium following a knee issue sustained during the international break. Although he faced some criticism from fans, Mbappe was the most dangerous player for Madrid in the first half, hitting the post and forcing a save from Villarreal goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
Real Madrid's defense improved, limiting Villarreal's scoring opportunities, but they struggled offensively in the first half. Diomande's goal came after a pass from Federico Valverde, marking his first goal for the club since joining for a record fee of 140 million euros ($157 million). Vinicius's disallowed goal came after Jude Bellingham assisted him, but the referee's decision to send off Vinicius for the hair pull overshadowed the moment. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made several key saves to help secure the win for Real Madrid.