Madrid’s narrow 1-0 win over Villarreal has left Real Madrid facing the prospect of an El Clasico without Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian was sent off in a dramatic late episode.
Vinicius began the match on the bench but became central to the contest after entering the game. He found the net, only for the goal to be ruled out, and was then shown a straight red card for pulling Saliba’s hair during the same sequence.
The dismissal means Vinicius will be suspended for the Clasico, depriving Real Madrid of one of their principal attacking figures for the meeting with Barcelona.
An apology followed by a pointed social-media post
After the match, Vinicius issued an apology to his Real Madrid team-mates and supporters on social media. But his online activity did not end there.
He later reposted an Instagram message from an account supportive of him. The post assembled incidents involving the forward from several matches and argued that Vinicius is repeatedly the player punished with yellow and red cards, describing the situation as shameful and alleging unfair treatment.
The Brazilian shared the message on his Instagram story with three smiling-face emojis, adding another public note to an already consequential night at the Bernabeu.
