Diomande scores first Real Madrid goal as Vinicius sent off after VAR drama

Ivorian forward Yan Diomande scored his first goal for Real Madrid before Vinicius Junior was shown a straight red card following a dramatic VAR intervention against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Diomande put Real Madrid ahead in the 62nd minute of the La Liga fixture, finishing from a precise pass by Federico Valverde. The assistant referee initially raised his flag for offside, but the goal was awarded after a review by the video assistant referee.

The goal ended a frustrating stalemate in Madrid, with the first half having finished goalless. Real Madrid’s players had also been met with jeers from supporters inside the Bernabeu during a disappointing opening 45 minutes.

Vinicius, who had started the match on the substitutes’ bench, came on in the 52nd minute in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold. He appeared to double Real Madrid’s lead in the 71st minute when he converted a low cross from Jude Bellingham.

The home side celebrated enthusiastically, with manager Jose Mourinho joining the players to congratulate Vinicius. However, the celebrations were cut short when the referee returned to the pitch-side monitor.

The review found that Vinicius had pulled Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba by the hair at the beginning of the move. The goal was disallowed and, in the 74th minute, Vinicius was shown a direct red card.

That decision turned what had looked like a memorable return to the match for the Brazil forward into a highly unusual sequence of events: he entered as a substitute, appeared to score Real Madrid’s second goal, saw it ruled out by VAR and then left the pitch after being sent off.

Diomande’s goal was later highlighted by beIN SPORTS in footage shared on 10 October 2026, showing the moment his first La Liga goal for Real Madrid was confirmed following the offside review.

A separate clip from beIN SPORTS showed Vinicius’ brief involvement in the second goal, from Bellingham’s cross and the resulting celebrations to the VAR review and red card.