Vinicius Junior red-carded for hair-pulling as Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0

Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 1-0 in LaLiga's Matchday 8 fixture at the Santiago Bernabéu on October 10, 2026, according to match reports from ESPN and Al Jazeera. Yan Diomande scored the only goal of the match in the 62nd minute, finishing a pass from Federico Valverde with what Al Jazeera described as a low shot into the far corner.

What happened with Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior came on as a substitute in the 52nd minute. In the 71st or 73rd minute (beIN Sports and ESPN give slightly different minutes), he appeared to score a second goal for Real Madrid after converting a pass from Jude Bellingham, who had cut the ball back from the left wing.

The referee, Isidro Díaz de Mera (full name given by Get Spanish Football News as Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos), was called to review the buildup play by the video assistant referee. Footage showed Vinicius pulling the hair of Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba during the move. The goal was disallowed and the referee issued a direct red card for violent conduct, according to ESPN, Al Jazeera and Fotmob.

Real Madrid played the remainder of the match with ten men but held on to win 1-0. Heavy.com reported that Vinicius reacted with visible anger toward the referee before being escorted off the pitch.

Reactions

Real Madrid head coach José Mourinho skipped his scheduled post-match press conference, according to ESPN and Fotmob. Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni said afterwards that he did not understand the referee's decision to send Vinícius off, as quoted by ESPN.

Vinicius Junior posted a message on Instagram after the match apologizing to his teammates and the club's fans, according to ESPN.

El Clasico in doubt

Because the red card was issued for an off-the-ball incident rather than a professional foul, Vinicius is expected to face a suspension longer than the standard one-match ban under Spanish disciplinary rules. beIN Sports and Get Spanish Football News both reported that the likely ban could range from two to four matches, pending the written report from referee Díaz de Mera and a ruling from the Spanish federation's disciplinary committee.

Real Madrid face Sevilla on October 18 before playing Barcelona at Camp Nou on October 25 for this season's first Clasico, according to beIN Sports. A ban of two or more league matches would keep Vinicius out of that fixture.

League standings

With the win, Real Madrid moved provisionally into third place in LaLiga, six points behind leaders Barcelona, who beat Getafe 3-0 on the same matchday, according to Al Jazeera. Atletico Madrid sat second after a 2-1 win over Alaves.

What is still unknown

The exact length of Vinicius's suspension has not been confirmed. None of the sources reviewed report an official ruling from LaLiga's disciplinary body (Comité de Competición) as of publication; the ban will depend on the referee's written match report.