Vinícius sent off for hair pull as Real win; Mourinho skips presser

📰 Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0, but Vinícius Júnior's hair-pull red card puts his Clásico place in doubt and José Mourinho skipped his press conference. 📌 Key points 🔴 Vinícius had a goal ruled out and was sent off for pulling an opponent's hair. 🪑 He started on the bench and came on in the second half. ⚽ Yan Diomande, who started in his place, scored the winner. 🎤 Mourinho did not attend his scheduled post-match press conference. ⚖️ Depending on the ban, Vinícius could miss the Clásico on 25 October. 📝 What happened 🪑 Mourinho left Vinícius out, saying he had not found his best form this season, and started Yan Diomande instead. Vinícius came on early in the second half at 0-0, and Diomande scored about ten minutes later. 🔴 Vinícius then finished from Jude Bellingham's pass, but VAR checked the move. The footage showed him pulling the hair of Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba, and referee Isidro Díaz de Mera disallowed the goal and showed him a straight red card. According to ESPN, the referee's report says Vinícius protested, shouted and approached him aggressively until teammates held him back. 💬 Vinícius later wrote on Instagram: "Sorry to my team and the fans." Aurélien Tchouaméni said he did not understand what was happening with the referees, while Villarreal's Juan Foyth said he did not think Vinícius meant to hurt anyone, but that it was a red card. 🎤 Mourinho did not appear for his press conference. Spanish reports said he wanted to avoid a ban for criticising the officials so he could stay on the touchline for the next two league games. LaLiga's broadcast rules make press conferences mandatory, so the club could be sanctioned. 📊 By the numbers • Score: Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal • Vinícius's red: just over 20 minutes after coming on • Table: Real Madrid third, six points behind leaders Barcelona • Gap to second-placed Atlético: one point 🔭 Why it matters The Spanish federation's disciplinary panel is expected to confirm the punishment this week. A one-match ban would rule Vinícius out of the Sevilla game on 18 October; anything longer would also cost him the Clásico at Camp Nou on 25 October. Real Madrid first travel to Roma in the Champions League on 14 October.