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MADRID: Yan Diomande earned Real Madrid a tight 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday to keep them six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, even though winger Vinicius Junior was sent off for hair-pulling.<\/p>\n
Brazil international Vinicius, on as a substitute, scored but his goal was disallowed and then he was dismissed after a VAR review showed he pulled the hair of Villarreal\u2019s Nathan Saliba.<\/p>\n
Jose Mourinho\u2019s Madrid battled through the final stages with 10 men but held on to their slender lead earned by 19-year-old winger Diomande to go provisionally third.<\/p>\n
Champions Barca lead La Liga after a 3-0 win over Getafe, while Atletico Madrid are five points behind in second after they edged Alaves 2-1.<\/p>\n
Despite Madrid\u2019s victory, Vinicius\u2019s red card left a bitter taste for Los Blancos, with the winger running the risk of a potential ban which could keep him out of the Clasico on October 25.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on with the referees, with this red card, I don\u2019t understand, but the most important thing is the victory,\u201d said Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.<\/p>\n
Madrid coach Mourinho complained bitterly about refereeing decisions which did not go his team\u2019s way in the derby defeat by Atletico before the recent international break.<\/p>\n
Striker Kylian Mbappe was fit to start the match for Madrid at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium after suffering a knee problem playing for France during the international break.<\/p>\n
There were a smattering of whistles for the superstar forward, with some fans believing he has been unprofessional in recent weeks, but also applause from other supporters.<\/p>\n
Mbappe, a candidate for the Ballon d\u2019Or trophy later this month, was Madrid\u2019s most threatening player in the first half, although he had little competition.<\/p>\n
Mourinho started with out-of-form winger Vinicius on the bench, following his trips to Australia and India with Brazil during the international break.<\/p>\n
Madrid improved defensively, giving Villarreal few chances of note, but struggled to build much in attack themselves in a drab opening half.<\/p>\n
Mbappe frustrated<\/strong><\/p>\n Mbappe struck the post from Alvaro Carreras\u2019s lay-off as Madrid pushed Villarreal back early on.<\/p>\n Villarreal soon gained a foothold and restricted Madrid\u2019s opportunities, until Mbappe forced a good save from Peter Gulacsi.<\/p>\n There was some more mild whistling for Madrid\u2019s display from their fans at half-time, but soon they were able to celebrate summer arrival Diomande\u2019s first goal for the club.<\/p>\n The Ivorian winger, Madrid\u2019s record 140-million-euro ($157 million) signing, produced a sharp low finish into the far corner after good work from Federico Valverde to play him in.<\/p>\n Vinicius thought he had doubled Madrid\u2019s lead after Jude Bellingham charged in down the left and cut the ball back for him.<\/p>\n However the winger\u2019s joy turned to anger after referee Isidro Diaz de Mera was called to watch Vinicius\u2019s hair pull on Saliba in the build-up by VAR and sent off the Brazilian, voiding his goal.<\/p>\n Madrid\u2019s Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had made a couple of smart saves earlier in the half, produced an acrobatic stop to thwart Carlos Romero.<\/p>\n Mbappe was denied again by Hungarian goalkeeper Gulasci as the forward left the Bernabeu frustrated in his hunt for goals, although his team were able to clinch three important points to stay on Barca\u2019s trail.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n