A win that felt like a defeat
Real Madrid 1–0 Villarreal, and nobody in the Bernabéu left happy. Vinicius Junior had a goal ruled out by VAR, then got himself sent off for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair, and Mourinho refused to speak to the press afterwards (1) (2) (8). Three points, first place in nothing but the standings' third spot, and a scandal attached to it.
Vinicius is the story, and it is not a good one
The referee's report is brutal. Vinicius, already sent off, stayed on the pitch and kept protesting, shouting and approaching the official's area with an aggressive attitude (2). Madrid fear a ban of at least two games, which would rule him out of Sevilla at home and the Clásico against Barcelona on 25 October (3) (5). He has apologised to his teammates and the fans (6) (13). That was the minimum. He is 26, on a contract to 2032 at €25m net a year, and he has started the season miles below his own level (5) (10). The crowning irony: in the same match he reached a round-number appearance milestone for the club (20).
Diomande is the answer nobody planned for
Yan Diomande scored the winner, his first goal for Madrid, and dedicated it to his late sister (3) (23). With Vinicius likely banned, he becomes indispensable for the immediate future (19). That is what a squad is for. Rodrygo is staying, by the way, with no January offers considered and Mourinho counting on him for the second half of the season (26). Good. Because right now Madrid need every forward who can stay on the pitch for 90 minutes.
The club is fighting the league, not the fixtures
Real Madrid TV called LaLiga "rigged and corrupt" after the Villarreal match (1) (7) (9). The dressing room is pushing the same line, that VAR only intervenes against them (1). Mourinho boycotted his press conference rather than risk a sanction, and he is expected to speak before the Champions League game (2) (8) (18). Somewhere in all this noise, Aurélien Tchouaméni quietly renewed until 2031 after serious Premier League interest (6) (28), and Madrid are planning a central midfielder for 2027 because Mourinho pushed hard for one last summer (11).
What to watch
Roma away in the Champions League, with Militao, Rodrygo and Asencio on the injury and suspension list (17). Then Sevilla at the Bernabéu, then the Clásico (3) (5). Vinicius's suspension is the call that decides how the next three weeks look. Diomande starts at the Camp Nou unless the committee surprises everyone.
