Vinícius Júnior Apologises to Teammates and Fans After Hair-Pull Red Card; Mourinho Skipped Press Conference
"Sorry to my team and my fans," he wrote on Instagram. Dressing-room sources say he did not intend to hurt Saliba.
Vinicius Sent Off for Hair-Pull as Real Madrid Edge Villarreal 1-0; Diomande Scores First Goal
Photo: Al Jazeera / Getty
Yan Diomande scored the only goal as Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. It was the first goal for the club's record signing, who joined for €140 million.
Vinicius Junior, who came on as a substitute, had a goal disallowed after a VAR review showed he pulled the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba. The referee sent him off, and Madrid, under coach Jose Mourinho, played the final stages with ten men. Vinicius has since apologised and could miss El Clasico, Al Jazeera reports.
Kylian Mbappe started despite a knee problem from international duty, hitting the post, and Thibaut Courtois made an acrobatic save to deny Carlos Romero. Madrid are provisionally third, six points behind leaders Barcelona, who beat Getafe 3-0. Atletico Madrid beat Alaves 2-1 and sit second.
Sources: Al Jazeera (AFP) · Al Jazeera: Vinicius apologises
