Shafaq News- Madrid

Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, with Yan Diomande scoring his first goal for the club in a La Liga match that also saw Vinicius Junior sent off.

Diomande broke the deadlock in the second half after receiving a pass from Federico Valverde. The goal was initially ruled out for offside before a VAR review overturned the decision.

YAN. https://t.co/DZRLaabPWO

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 10, 2026

Vinicius, who started on the bench and entered after halftime, appeared to double Madrid’s lead following a run and pass from Jude Bellingham. However, the referee disallowed the goal after a VAR review identified an earlier incident in which the Brazilian pulled Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba’s hair. The referee subsequently showed Vinicius a straight red card.

Kylian Mbappe had twice threatened in the first half, striking the post with an early effort before Villarreal goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi denied him another opportunity. Alberto Moleiro also threatened for the visitors, but the teams entered halftime level.

Madrid improved after manager Jose Mourinho introduced Vinicius and Marc Cucurella early in the second half.

The visitors pushed forward against the 10-man hosts in the closing stages, but Thibaut Courtois made a crucial save from a rebound following Carlos Romero’s shot to preserve Madrid’s narrow advantage.

The victory lifted Real Madrid to 18 points from eight matches, six behind league leader Barcelona, which maintained its perfect record with a 3-0 win over Getafe earlier on Saturday.