Vinícius apologizes to his teammates and the fans after his sending-off against Villarreal

The Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu during the eighth round of the 2026-27 LaLiga EA Sports season. The decisive goal was scored by Yan Diomande in the 62nd minute, securing three points for the home side and maintaining their position six points behind league leaders Barcelona.

The match was marked by the expulsion of Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior, who received a direct red card for grabbing the hair of Villarreal player Saliba after entering the game as a substitute. Following the incident, Vinícius issued an apology to his teammates and the club's supporters. Additionally, the match concluded with manager José Mourinho declining to attend the post-game press conference, while media analysis highlighted ongoing concerns regarding the performance of the team's midfield pairing of Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni.