Vinicius Goal Disallowed, Sent Off for Hair-Pulling in Madrid Win
On.cc · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Real Madrid's 1-0 home win over Villarreal on Sunday was overshadowed by a dramatic VAR intervention that saw Vinicius Junior have his goal disallowed and receive a straight red card. The incident occurred after the Brazilian had wheeled away in celebration, only for replays to reveal he had pulled Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba's hair during the build-up play. New signing Endi Ovindi had earlier given Madrid the lead with his first goal for the club, securing all three points despite the disruption. Manager Mourinho stormed out of his press conference in protest at the refereeing decision.
Key Points
- Endi Ovindi, a 19-year-old Ivorian, scored the decisive goal in the 63rd minute after joining from RB Leipzig in the summer for 125 million euros (approximately 1.1 billion HKD)
- Vinicius Junior was sent off in the 71st minute after VAR detected he had pulled Nathan Saliba's hair to gain positional advantage during a counter-attack
- Jude Bellingham delivered the assist for Vinicius's disallowed goal from the left flank before the controversial incident
- Real Madrid created numerous chances including Kylian Mbappe hitting the post and a one-on-one save, but only managed one goal
- Madrid remain third in La Liga with 18 points from eight games, six points behind leaders Barcelona who beat Getafe 3-0 for eight consecutive wins
- Mourinho refused to conduct his post-match press conference in anger, while Vinicius later apologized to teammates and fans
Why It Matters
Vinicius is expected to face a two-to-three match suspension, potentially ruling him out of the highly anticipated El Clasico against Barcelona scheduled for October 26 . With Real already trailing Barcelona by six points and facing a Champions League trip to Roma on Thursday, the loss of their key Brazilian attacker could prove costly in both competitions. The incident also reignites debates about VAR implementation and whether the punishment fits the crime of a hair-pull during open play.
Vinicius is expected to face a two-to-three match suspension, potentially ruling him out of the highly anticipated El Clasico against Barcelona scheduled for October 26 . With Real already trailing Barcelona by six points and facing a Champions League trip to Roma on Thursday, the loss of their key Brazilian attacker could prove costly in both competitions. The incident also reignites debates about VAR implementation and whether the punishment fits the crime of a hair-pull during open play.