Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 as Vinicius Junior is sent off after VAR disallows goal

Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 in La Liga, Spain's top division, at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on 10 October 2026, according to Sportschau. Yan Diomande, who joined from RB Leipzig for a fee of more than 100 million euros, scored in the 62nd minute for his first goal for the club. Sportschau described Real Madrid's performance as moderate.

The linesman initially flagged Diomande offside. According to Sportschau, video images then showed clearly that he had two opponents in front of him when he received Federico Valverde's pass, and he scored past his former Leipzig teammate, goalkeeper Peter Gulácsi.

Ten minutes after the goal, Vinicius Junior, whom coach José Mourinho had left on the bench at the start, scored from a Jude Bellingham pass. Sportschau reported that the video assistant referee (VAR) saw during the review that Vinicius had pulled opponent Nathan Saliba's hair in a running duel. The goal was disallowed and the winger was sent off. Kicker reported that the apparent 2-0 was withdrawn after the VAR check and that Vinicius received the red card instead.

Sportschau reported that Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made several saves to prevent a Villarreal goal after the visitors became bolder in the second half. Home fans booed their team at half-time, the outlet reported.

The result kept Real Madrid six points behind leaders Barcelona, according to Sportschau. Barcelona beat Getafe 3-0 earlier in the day for their eighth win in eight games. Villarreal had lost their Champions League opener 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund, Sportschau reported.