Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 as Vinicius Junior sees red

Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Villarreal was decided by Yan Diomande’s first goal for the club, but the match ended with Vinicius Junior sent off after an apparent second goal was ruled out. The Real Madrid Villarreal 1-0 result left Madrid six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after eight games, according to the BBC.

Diomande put Madrid ahead in the 62nd minute. The goal was initially flagged for offside, but video review overturned that decision, the BBC reported. AFP, in reports published by Al Jazeera and Yahoo, said Madrid then protected its one-goal lead through the closing stages with 10 players.

Why was Vinicius Junior’s goal against Villarreal disallowed?

Vinicius, who had entered as a substitute, appeared to make it 2-0 when he finished a move involving Jude Bellingham. After the goal, VAR alerted referee Isidro Diaz de Mera to an incident earlier in the build-up involving Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba, AFP reported.

The referee watched the footage on the pitchside monitor and ruled out the goal. He then showed Vinicius a straight red card after the review found that the Brazil forward had pulled Saliba’s hair, according to the BBC and AFP.

The BBC said the dismissal came in the 72nd minute, 20 minutes after Vinicius replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold, and was for violent conduct. The reports did not establish any subsequent suspension or the length of any potential ban.

What do football’s rules say about hair-pulling?

The BBC said IFAB Law 12 treats a clear, forceful act of pulling an opponent’s hair by a player who is not challenging for the ball as violent conduct. Violent conduct carries a sending-off offence under those laws.

Madrid held on after the dismissal to secure the victory. Diomande’s strike remained the only goal, while Vinicius’s finish did not count because the foul was judged to have occurred during the same attacking move.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.