Real Madrid squeaked out a 1–0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday, persevering with 10 men after Vinícius Júnior was sent off in the 74th minute.
When Los Blancos kicked off under the lights at the Bernabéu, the team was nine points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona. Collecting three points was absolutely imperative for José Mourinho’s men in their return to domestic action, but the only thing they produced in the first half were thousands of whistles from the home crowd.