play
Vinícius Júnior gets sent off vs. Villarreal (0:31)
MADRID -- Vinícius Júnior had a goal disallowed and was then red-carded in a dramatic, off-the-bench cameo during Real Madrid's LaLiga win over Villarreal on Saturday.
The Brazil international was left out of the starting XI by José Mourinho -- replaced by Yan Diomande -- after the coach admitted that the forward has been unable to find his best form this season.
Vinícius was introduced on 52 minutes with the game tied at 0-0, with Diomande opening the scoring at the Bernabéu 10 minutes later.
Vinícius then looked to have made a decisive contribution when he converted Jude Bellingham's pass to make it 2-0, with Mourinho sprinting onto the pitch to celebrate with his players.
Vinícius Júnior was dismissed just over 20 minutes after his introduction. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
However a VAR check showed that in the build-up to the goal, Vinícius had pulled Villarreal's Nathan Saliba's hair as he raced forwards.
The goal was overturned, and referee Isidro Díaz de Mera showed Vinícius a straight red card, sparking an angry reaction from the Madrid bench.
Mourinho later skipped his post-match news conference.
"I don't understand what's happening with the referees, with the red card. I don't understand it," midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni told Real Madrid TV.
The decision left 10-man Madrid to nervously defend a narrow lead in the game's closing stages but Mourinho's side saw out the 1-0 win.
The result leaves Real Madrid in third place in the LaLiga standings, a point behind Atlético Madrid and six points behind leaders Barcelona.
- Vinícius Júnior benched as Real Madrid take on Villarreal
- Atlético Madrid mock Real Madrid on social media over Federico Valverde recovery
- Kylian Mbappé to start for Real Madrid, criticism 'ridiculous' - José Mourinho