Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 1-0 this Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu, on matchday eight of LaLiga, thanks to a goal from Yan Diomande. The white team finished the match with ten players due to the expulsion of Vinícius Júnior and was provisionally in third position, six points behind the leader Barcelona.
The young Ivorian Diomande decided the match in the 62nd minute with a cross shot, after Thibaut Courtois prevented Villarreal from scoring with two consecutive interventions against Pape Gueye.
The match became complicated for the locals in the 72nd minute, when Vinícius was sent off after a VAR review. The Brazilian had scored shortly before, but his goal was disallowed for pulling an opponent’s hair during the action.
Vinícius had started the game on the bench and came on after the break to replace the young Ivorian attacker. His entry gave greater impetus to the Madrid attack, which until then had had difficulty overcoming Villarreal’s pressure.
Kylian Mbappé had two good opportunities in the first half. In the first, his shot ended up hitting the post, while in the second he was met with the intervention of goalkeeper Peter Gulácsi after a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The French forward faced the match after criticism arose from some images of him during his free time, after leaving the French team’s concentration due to physical discomfort. Coach José Mourinho publicly defended him, although the Bernabéu fans received him with indifference.
After Diomande’s goal and Vinícius’ expulsion, Real Madrid had to retreat to defend their advantage. Villarreal increased the pressure and looked for a tie until the end, but could not overcome the resistance of the white team.
The victory allows Real Madrid to stay in the fight for the top spots in LaLiga, while Barcelona retains the lead.
