Vinicius Jr sent off for hair pull as VAR wipes out his goal in Real Madrid's win over Villarreal

Vinicius Junior’s evening against Villarreal unravelled in extraordinary fashion as VAR disallowed his goal and handed him a red card for pulling the hair of Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba, with Real Madrid ultimately clinging on to a one-goal victory with 10 men.

The Brazilian winger came off the bench early in the second half and appeared to have justified his introduction when he converted after 72 minutes, sparking jubilant celebrations with Jude Bellingham and manager Jose Mourinho, who sprinted down the touchline in delight. The mood shifted sharply when the video assistant referee intervened.

Review footage showed Vinicius grabbing Saliba by the hair as he surged into the opposition half, moments before Bellingham played the ball through for what looked like Real’s second goal. Referee Isidro Díaz de Mer overturned the goal and issued a straight red card — reportedly the first time in the competition’s history that VAR has simultaneously disallowed a goal and produced a sending-off.

Vinicius reacted furiously, pursuing the referee across the pitch before eventually leaving the field. Real Madrid were left to protect a slender lead with 10 men, a task they completed successfully, with summer signing Yann Diomande — who had started ahead of Vinicius — playing an important role.

Real Madrid TV were vocal in their criticism of the officiating, drawing a comparison with a red card shown to Villarreal’s Carlos Romero in a match against Espanyol two seasons ago that they claim VAR failed to act on. Referee analyst Pablo González Fuertes, however, backed the decision on Radio Marca. “A correct sending-off because it was a very blatant hair-pull on Saliba,” he said. “It was violent conduct on the part of the Real Madrid forward. And, logically, the goal was correctly disallowed.”

The red card carries significant consequences for Real Madrid. Depending on the contents of the referee’s official report, Vinicius could be suspended for the Clásico against Barcelona in two weeks.