Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1:0 as Diomande scores and Vinicius is sent off

First half without a goal

Real Madrid controlled the early play at the Santiago Bernabeu but struggled to turn territory into chances. Kylian Mbappe hit the woodwork in the seventh minute after a pass from Alvaro Carreras, and later in the half he was denied by Peter Gulacsi, who made a strong save from the French forward. Villarreal had 48 percent of possession before the break but did not register a shot on target. The first half ended goalless, with Real Madrid at an expected-goals (xG) figure of 0.54 against 0.08 for the visitors.

Diomande's goal and Mourinho's changes

Jose Mourinho made changes at half-time, with Marc Cucurella replacing Alvaro Carreras, and early in the second half Vinicius Junior came on for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Vinicius's arrival moved Fede Valverde to right-back and Yan Diomande onto the right wing, and that pairing created the opening goal. Sources give different minutes for it: TVN24 reports the 62nd minute, Sportowe Fakty the 63rd and Przegląd Sportowy the 64th. Valverde found Diomande unmarked in the penalty area, and the 19-year-old winger struck to the far post. It was his first goal for Real Madrid, a club he joined this summer for 125 million euros according to Przegląd Sportowy.

Vinicius goal ruled out and sent off

Vinicius Junior scored what would have been Real Madrid's second goal, but VAR ruled it out after a review. According to Przegląd Sportowy the goal came in the 71st minute, when Jude Bellingham carried the ball down the wing and played Vinicius through. Earlier in the move Vinicius had pulled the hair of an opponent, and TVN24 names the player as Nathan Saliba. The referee showed Vinicius a straight red card, and TVN24 dates the dismissal to the 73rd minute, after which Real played with ten men. Mourinho, who had sprinted toward Vinicius to celebrate, could not believe the decision, while Vinicius protested, and TVN24 says the referee's ruling raises no doubts.

Standings and what remains

Barcelona beat Getafe 3:0 earlier on the same day and have won eight matches in a row, with 24 points after eight rounds. Real Madrid have 18 points, six behind Barcelona according to Przegląd Sportowy, and a win would have cut the gap to five points, per TVN24. Atletico Madrid are also chasing Barcelona, according to TVN24.

Mourinho reacted with an ironic smile when the referee showed Jude Bellingham a yellow card, and Vinicius started on the bench before entering the match. TVN24 concludes that the three points stay at the Bernabeu, although the style again failed to impress.