Yan Diomande earned Real Madrid a tight 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday to keep them six points behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona, even though winger Vinicius Junior was sent off for hair-pulling.
Vinicius, on as a substitute, scored but his goal was disallowed and then he was dismissed after a VAR review showed he pulled the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba.
Madrid battled through the final stages with 10 men but held on to their slender lead earned by 19-year-old winger Diomande to go provisionally third.
Champions Barcelona lead LaLiga after a 3-0 win over Getafe, while Atletico Madrid are five points behind in second after they edged Alaves 2-1.
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Despite Madrid’s victory, Vinicius’s red card left a bitter taste for Los Blancos, with the winger running the risk of a potential ban which could keep him out of the Clasico on October 25.
“I don’t know what’s going on with the referees, with this red card, I don’t understand, but the most important thing is the victory,” said Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho complained bitterly about refereeing decisions which did not go his team’s way in the derby defeat by Atletico Madrid before the recent international break.
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