Real Madrid eked out a win over Villarreal at the Bernabéu. It was a hard‑fought victory, with the whites scrambling for a moment. Diomande’s goal and a direct red for Vinícius sealed three golden points. Madrid still looks unsteady, yet they survived a tense encounter where Villarreal pressed, but not enough to storm the stadium.
Mourinho kept a surprise up his sleeve for the clash: benching Vinícius, who hadn’t started since his April stint in Mallorca. He trusted Diomande to fill the Brazilian’s shoes, pleasing many critics. Villarreal arrived intent on dominating possession and early pressure paid off. When Madrid tried to disrupt their build‑up, Villarreal faltered. Arda Güler orchestrated the first chances, the clearest being Mbappé’s shot hitting the post in the seventh minute.
Madrid controlled the tempo, smothering Villarreal’s attempts to reach Courtois. The pressure was measured, not relentless. The whites played better than in recent outings, yet the net remained untouched. Mbappé threatened in the 21st minute after a long pass from Trent. After that, Madrid’s intensity dipped, the tie levelled and Villarreal tested Courtois more, though without real danger. The game grew dull, punctuated only by Mourinho’s constant complaints about the officials.
| 1 Thibaut Courtois | 25 P. Gulácsi | ||
| 12 Alexander-Arnold 52′ | 3 Alex Freeman | ||
| (7 Vinícius) | – | 6 Pau Navarro | |
| 16 I. Konaté | 12 Renato Veiga | ||
| 22 A. Rüdiger | 23 Sergi Cardona 67′ | ||
| 18 Á. Carreras 46′ | (9 G. Mikautadze) | ||
| (17 M. Cucurella) | 8 Juan Foyth 56′ | ||
| 8 F. Valverde | (20 Carlos Romero) | ||
| 14 A. Tchouaméni | 14 Santi Comesaña 56′ | ||
| 15 Arda Güler 77′ | (24 N. Saliba) | ||
| (6 E. Camavinga) | 18 Pape Gueye | ||
| 5 J. Bellingham | 11 Ilias Akhomach 67′ | ||
| 25 Y. Diomande 86′ | (7 Gerard Moreno) | ||
| (24 D. Dumfries) | 22 Ayoze | ||
| 10 K. Mbappé | 10 A. Moleiro 86′ | ||
| (27 Nizar) | |||
Goles:(1-0) Y. Diomande (62′)
Tarjetas:L Renato Veiga (10′), J. Bellingham (19′), I. Konaté (81′), A. Rüdiger (83′), Pau Navarro (84′), A. Tchouaméni (87′), K. Mbappé (94′)L Vinícius (72′)
Árbitro: Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos
Espectadores: 70.000 en el Santiago Bernabéu
| LO MEJOR El acierto del VAR con el gol de DIomande y la roja a Vinicius | |
| LO PEOR La roja de Vinicius y el poco fútbol que se vio |
The Bernabéu shouted ‘enough’ after thirty minutes, erupting as the home side stalled. Mourinho warmed up most of the squad, sparing Vinícius, but the halftime score remained nil and the fans’ frustration grew.
The second half saw Cucurella replace Carreras to shore up the defence after Ilias threatened down the wing. When Vinícius entered for Trent, Valverde shifted to right‑back – a role Mourinho swore he’d never use – prompting Diomande to move wide and Arda Güler to sit deeper beside Tchouaméni. Those tweaks didn’t pay off; Villarreal crafted the better chances, yet Courtois kept them out. Eventually, the visitors paid for their risk, conceding the 1-0 at 62 minutes. Diomande, on debut as a scorer, benefited from a VAR‑confirmed offside reversal.
Íñigo, Villarreal’s coach, threw everything at the game, bringing on Gerard Moreno and Mikautadze to chase an equaliser. Real Madrid doubled the lead at 71 minutes, courtesy of Vinícius, but the goal was nullified and the Brazilian was shown a direct red for pulling Saliba’s hair. His outburst will likely earn a further sanction ahead of the upcoming Clasico.
Reduced to ten men, Madrid had to protect their lead while Villarreal surged forward. Mourinho sacrificed Arda Güler and Diomande, inserting Camavinga and Dumfries and relied on a counter‑attack to seal the win. Minutes ticked by as Villarreal pressed and Madrid employed time‑wasting tactics. In the end, the whites emerged victorious in this tactical ‘war’.