Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 1–0 win against Villarreal thanks to Yan Diomande’s goal, keeping the gap to Barcelona the same. Someone else, however, became the villain of the piece.
The pressure was on for Real Madrid following their recent derby defeat to Atlético; on Saturday, the Royals faced Villarreal CF in a clash between two Champions League contenders. The aim was to ensure under no circumstances that the gap to FC Barcelona – who had previously comfortably seen off Getafe 3–0 – widened any further. And they succeeded – albeit not without a few hiccups.
Joy and frustration are sometimes very close together, as Vinicius Junior discovered this Saturday evening. The out-of-form forward, initially left on the bench by manager Mourinho, had just scored the second goal in the 71st minute and was surrounded by a crowd of celebrating teammates when the VAR intervened. Referee Diaz de Mera Escuderos went to the screen at the touchline, and after a brief glance, disallowed the goal – and straight away showed the Brazilian a red card. The reason: in the build-up to the goal, Vini Jr. had forcefully tugged at his opponent Saliba’s long hair. All his protests were to no avail.
The fact that the Royals still managed to secure a crucial 1–0 victory after 90+8 minutes was down to Yan Diomande. The former Leipzig player, following a superb assist from Fede Valverde, scored the goal of the day for the Royals with a well-placed low shot in the second half (63’), after they had long struggled against the “Submarinos Amarillos”, who were bold in attack and solid at the back.
Mbappé misses twice
Before this goal, it was the defensive lines that had long dominated proceedings. Mbappé had the best chance of the first half after just eight minutes, when he struck a finely executed attack involving Güler and Carreras with a first-time shot that hit the outside of the post. Later, the star French striker had the second good opportunity of the match following a long ball from Alexander-Arnold, but Gulasci was on hand to save (22′). The forwards in front of the former RB goalkeeper in the Villarreal goal, by contrast, failed to register a single shot on target against Courtois; Gueye came closest with a long-range effort (5th minute).
It was not until the second half that the Madrid goalkeeper had to make a few saves (61’, 89’), though he was never really tested throughout the match. Villarreal were also unable to create enough danger from their numerical advantage following the sending-off. The Royals’ sixth win of the season was therefore thoroughly deserved, even if it fell into the category of a hard-fought victory. In the league table, they remain six points behind Barcelona.
Real Madrid’s next fixture is away to AS Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday; the day before, Villarreal host SSC Napoli at home. In La Liga, Madrid’s next opponents are Sevilla (next Sunday, 9.00 pm).