Vinícius Júnior sent off for hair-pull as Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 at the Bernabéu on 10 October 2026

Vinícius Júnior was sent off for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair during Real Madrid’s 1-0 La Liga win over Villarreal at the Bernabéu on 10 October 2026, a match in which Yan Diomandé scored the only goal. The dismissal followed a VAR review that also led to Vinícius’s struck goal being disallowed.

The victory kept Real six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and provisionally moved José Mourinho’s side into third place. Vinícius, introduced as a substitute, now faces a potential ban that could rule him out of El Clásico on 25 October. Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni reacted to the red card, saying: “I don’t know what’s going on with the referees, with this red card, I don’t understand,” and adding, “But the most important thing is the victory.”

Vinícius appeared to have doubled Madrid’s lead after Jude Bellingham charged down the left and cut the ball back for him, but the referee Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos was summoned by VAR, watched the incident and sent the Brazilian off for pulling Saliba’s hair while also disallowing the goal. The red card left Real to finish the match with 10 men as they defended their lead.

Yan Diomandé, a summer signing described as Madrid’s record signing, provided the decisive moment with his first goal for the club. The Ivorian winger finished low into the far corner after Federico Valverde played him in, giving Madrid the lead they would keep.

Kylian Mbappé was declared fit to start after a knee problem suffered while playing for France during the international break and was Madrid’s most threatening player in the first half. There were a smattering of whistles and some applause for him from the crowd; Mbappé, a candidate for the Ballon d’Or later this month, struck the post from Álvaro Carreras’s lay-off and later forced a good save from Peter Gulacsi.

Madrid tightened up defensively after a subdued opening half that offered Villarreal few clear chances. Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian goalkeeper, made a couple of smart saves earlier and produced an acrobatic stop to thwart Carlos Romero, while Mbappé was denied again by the Hungarian goalkeeper Gulasci as he left the Bernabéu frustrated.

José Mourinho’s side held on through the closing stages with 10 players to secure three points and remain in pursuit of Barcelona in the title race. Vinícius’s sending off, however, introduces uncertainty over his availability for Real’s scheduled El Clásico on 25 October due to the risk of suspension.