Madrid, Oct 11 (V7N)- Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, keeping their hopes of challenging for the La Liga title alive despite a dramatic late incident involving Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior.
Ivorian winger Ian Diomande scored the decisive goal early in the second half, giving Real three valuable points. However, the match took a dramatic turn when Vinicius had a goal disallowed and was sent off following a VAR review.
Kylian Mbappe returned to the starting lineup after recovering from a knee injury sustained around the international break. Real's coach opted to leave Vinicius on the bench, with the Brazilian brought on later in the match.
Neither side managed to score in the first half. Diomande broke the deadlock after the restart, controlling a precise pass from Federico Valverde before firing a powerful shot into the far corner.
Vinicius appeared to have doubled Real's lead after turning in a cut-back from Jude Bellingham. However, a VAR review showed that he had pulled Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba's hair shortly before the goal. Referee Isidro Díaz de Mera disallowed the strike and issued Vinicius a straight red card.
Despite being reduced to 10 players, Real Madrid held on to their advantage, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois making several important saves to preserve the victory.
The win temporarily moved Real Madrid to third place in the La Liga standings. Barcelona remained top after a 3-0 victory over Getafe, while Atletico Madrid occupied second place following a 2-1 win against Alavés.
Real will look to build on the result as the Spanish league title race continues.
END/SMA/AJ
