Vinícius Júnior offered a public apology after he was sent off for pulling the hair of Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba during Real Madrid’s hotly controversial 1–0 win on Saturday night. However, the Brazilian’s camp reportedly questioned the consistency of La Liga’s referees in a response with a different tone.
It was quite the two minutes for Madrid’s No. 7. With the hosts already in front thanks to Yan Diomande’s crisp swipe into the bottom corner, Vinícius Jr thought he had doubled their lead and broken his seven-game goal drought. Wild celebrations ensued, with José Mourinho awkwardly making his way across the pitch, half-running, half-jogging with all the commitment of a commuter vaguely embarrassed to be running after their bus.
