A red card instead of a goal. Vinicius is at the center of controversy again

A red card instead of a goal: Vinicius at the center of controversy again

The match between Real Madrid and Villarreal (1:0) in the 8th round of La Liga sparked major controversy. In the 71st minute of the game, Madrid forward Vinicius Junior scored a goal, but it was disallowed and the player himself was sent off.

Vinicius, who could have moved to Arsenal in the summer but ultimately renewed his contract with the Madrid club, has been playing uncertainly at the start of the season. For this reason, Jose Mourinho left him on the bench for the first time. This is understandable: the Brazilian forward has scored just one goal in nine matches across all competitions this season. As a result, Yan Diomande was brought into the starting lineup in his place.

The star Brazilian still came off the bench in the 52nd minute, but not directly in place of his competitor; instead, he replaced defender Trent Alexander-Arnold. Naturally, he did not play in defense and positioned himself on the left wing of the attack. Then, in the 62nd minute, Diomande—who had shifted to the right wing after Vinicius entered—opened the scoring, marking the Ivorian winger's debut goal for Real Madrid.

Initially, the referee did not allow the goal, but after VAR intervention, it was confirmed that there was no foul in the attack.

However, the video assistant referees' next intervention worked against Real Madrid. In the 71st minute, Vinicius also found the back of the net, responding to his rival, but the outcome proved disastrous for him.

Even so, Jose Mourinho had walked onto the pitch to congratulate his 26-year-old player despite the risk of receiving a red card himself (he had previously received a yellow card for arguing with the referee).