Vinicius Junior apologises after Real Madrid red card against Villarreal

Vinicius Junior apologised to Real Madrid and the club’s supporters after being sent off in their 1-0 victory over Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday.

The Brazil forward came on as a second-half substitute and later had a goal disallowed after the referee ruled that he had fouled a Villarreal defender. Reports said Vinicius pulled the defender’s hair while the pair challenged for the ball.

He was shown a red card in the 72nd minute and left the pitch visibly angry, making protesting gestures towards the decision before heading to the dressing room.

Real Madrid were forced to finish with 10 players, having taken the lead through Yan Diomande in the 63rd minute. That goal proved decisive as they secured all three points in their sixth league match of the season.

After the final whistle, Vinicius celebrated the result while acknowledging the difficulty his dismissal had created for his team-mates during the closing stages.

“The joy continues… I apologise to my team and the fans,” he wrote in a message posted on Instagram.

The player later returned to the subject of the refereeing decisions, sharing a series of photographs from different matches in which he appeared to believe opponents had committed fouls against him without being punished.

“The person who always gets the yellow and red cards is Vinicius. What a shame,” he wrote.

Vinicius’ dismissal could affect his availability for Real Madrid’s next meeting with Barcelona in the league. An official decision on his suspension is expected before it becomes clear whether he will be able to play in the Clasico, which is the club’s match after their next league fixture.

The victory ended a difficult spell for Real Madrid, who had lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby in their previous match.

Real Madrid moved on to 18 points and remain third in the La Liga table. They are one point behind second-placed Atletico Madrid and six points adrift of leaders Barcelona.

Villarreal stayed on eight points in 10th place.