Diomande breaks his drought at the Bernabéu and seals Real's victory
In the 63rd minute, Yan Diomande, sports journalist and newly‑started Real Madrid player, received a diagonal pass from Federico Valverde and finished it against the far post; the VAR confirmed the goal, which ended his drought and gave the only lead of the match against Villarreal.
The road to the goal
The winger had arrived at the club on a €140 million transfer and, after two matches without starting, earned his third league start under José Mourinho. Valverde, who returned after 17 days out with a grade‑3 sprain, was in the starting lineup and provided the assist that Diomande converted.
The Bernabéu had already whistled at his team when the ball reached Diomande; Villarreal, under Iñigo Pérez, had kept possession in the first half, but Real Madrid applied a higher press and won the ball back from the goal kick.
Match development
The opening minutes were dominated by Kylian Mbappé, who created several chances, including a volley against the post in the 7th minute following the play of Arda Güler. Villarreal responded with clean exits from the back, supported by Foyth in midfield and counter‑attacks from Moleiro and Ayoze.
VAR drama changes Real Madrid's lead against Villarreal
In the second half, Vinícius came on for Trent Alexander‑Arnold and Valverde moved to the right‑back position, while Diomande switched flanks. Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, with whom Diomande shared 22 matches at RB Leipzig, kept the opposing goal under pressure.
Incidents and refereeing decisions
After the goal, the referee initially disallowed a goal for offside, but the VAR review confirmed there was no infringement. Later, Vinícius received a direct red card for pulling Saliba’s hair, a decision shown on the VOR monitor and pending sanction by the Competition Committee.
The match was also marked by several cards: Mourinho had already received a yellow for protesting in the 68th minute, and in the following minutes Konaté, Rüdiger, Pau Navarro and Aurélien Tchouaméni were booked.
Conclusion of the match
Real Madrid closed the match with a ten‑man back line, while Villarreal tried to equalise through Gerard Moreno, Georges Mikautadze and Carlos Romero. Thibaut Courtois made key saves, including a stop against Romero in the 85th minute and another against a Mikautadze shot in the 88th minute. The referee added seven minutes; Mbappé received a yellow for time‑wasting in the 93rd minute, and Villarreal’s final attempt was deflected by Rüdiger.