Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior sent off for hair-pulling in victory over Villarreal

Story By Staff Reporter

Vinícius Júnior reacted on social media after his red card in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Villarreal. The match took place on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Brazilian forward saw red in the 72nd minute. Once the match ended, he posted a brief message on his Instagram account

Vinícius apologises to his team and the fans

“The joy goes on… Sorry to my team and the fans,” wrote the winger. His text celebrated the team’s victory. At the same time, it apologised for leaving his side with one player fewer in the decisive stretch of the match.

The controversial play behind the red card

The sending-off came from one of the most controversial plays of the night. Vinícius had come off the bench in the second half. Then he sent the ball into the net in what looked like 2-0. However, the referee disallowed the goal. He had spotted an earlier infringement by the Brazilian on Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba, whose hair Vinícius pulled in the tussle before the shot. In the same move, the referee showed him the card that sent him to the dressing room.

Madrid defend their lead with ten men

The forward left the pitch visibly angry with the referee’s decision. He responded with gestures of protest before walking off. As a result, Real Madrid had to defend their narrow lead with ten players. Yan Diomande had scored the only goal of the match in the 63rd minute.

A second Instagram post targets the refereeing

Shortly afterwards, Vinícius shared a new post on his Instagram stories. In it, he showed his displeasure with the refereeing treatment that, in his view, he repeatedly receives. “And the one who always gets yellow and red cards is Vinicius, what a disgrace,” read a montage of images. The montage featured incidents from different matches in which, according to him, no opponent received a caution for tackles or blows against him.