Yan Diomande scored his first Real Madrid goal and then fought back tears in celebration as José Mourinho's side edged Villarreal 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu — and held on with 10 men after Vinícius Júnior was sent off for pulling an opponent's hair.
Match facts
- Result: Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal (half-time 0-0)
- Competition: La Liga EA Sports, Matchday 8
- Venue: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
- Scorer: Real Madrid - Diomande 62' (awarded after VAR)
- Red cards: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) 72', violent conduct
- Manager: José Mourinho (Real Madrid)
- Table after: Real Madrid 3rd, 18 pts (6-0-2); Villarreal 8 pts (2-2-4)
How the match unfolded
Mourinho started Diomande on the left ahead of Vinícius, with Kylian Mbappé leading the line and Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler in support. Villarreal, with Péter Gulácsi in goal, looked organised and denied Madrid clear sight of goal early on.
Mbappé had an early sight of goal in the seventh minute, and Gulácsi saved from the French forward again midway through the half. Bellingham was booked in the 19th minute. At the other end Alberto Moleiro and Pape Gueye both fired over, and Renato Veiga was cautioned for a foul. The teams went in goalless.
Cucurella replaced Carreras at half-time. Courtois then produced a crucial double save around the hour mark as Villarreal pressed, denying Gueye twice from distance after Ilias Akhomach's blocked effort.
Diomande broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute. He swivelled in the box and drove a right-footed finish into the bottom left corner. The goal was initially ruled out, then awarded after a VAR review — and the Ivorian was soon in tears as he celebrated his first strike in Real Madrid colours.
Vinícius, who had replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 52nd minute, thought he had made it 2-0 in the 71st minute from Bellingham's assist. VAR overturned the goal and showed the Brazilian a red card for violent conduct after he pulled Nathan Saliba's hair during the move. Madrid were down to 10 with nearly 20 minutes plus stoppage time still to play.
Camavinga came on for Güler in the 77th minute. Gulácsi saved from Mbappé, Courtois denied Carlos Romero and Georges Mikautadze, and late yellow cards for Ibrahima Konaté, Antonio Rüdiger, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Mbappé underlined the scramble. Dumfries replaced Diomande in the 86th minute. Seven minutes were added; Madrid held on.
Diomande's first goal — and Vinícius's red
The night belonged to two contrasting stories. Diomande, preferred to Vinícius from the start, delivered the winner and an emotional celebration that will be remembered at the Bernabéu. Vinícius's impact off the bench lasted barely 20 minutes before the hair-pulling incident flipped a potential 2-0 into a red card and a scramble to the finish.
What the win means
The three points leave Real Madrid third on 18 points from eight games, with six wins and two defeats from eight league games. Villarreal stay on eight points after a hard-fought away display that ended without reward. Mourinho's side showed character with 10 men; the next test will come in Europe and La Liga without Vinícius if the ban follows the usual tariff for violent conduct.