Vinícius Jr.’s Stunning Goal Snatched Away by VAR—Ends in Shocking Red Card Controversy!

Vinícius Jr. thought he had doubled Real Madrid’s lead against Villarreal on Saturday, but the goal did not stand. After a VAR review, the goal was disallowed and the Brazilian was sent off for pulling the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan-Dylan Saliba, a decision that left Real Madrid with ten men at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Vinícius began the LaLiga match on the bench, and Mourinho brought him on in the 51st minute in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The match was still goalless at that point, and Real Madrid had been struggling to break through until Yan Diomande opened the scoring in the 62nd minute.

In the 71st minute, Vinícius finished off a fast counterattack with a right-footed shot from the center of the box after an assist from Jude Bellingham, which seemed to make it 2-0. However, referee Isidro Díaz de Mera was sent to the monitor by the VAR, and after the review he decided to disallow the goal because Vinícius had pulled an opponent’s hair at the start of the move, an action for which he was also sent off.

The dismissal adds to a difficult stretch for Vinícius, who had scored just one goal in his first seven LaLiga games this season. It also puts Real Madrid in a tough spot as it looks to stay in the title race, knowing that only a win will keep it from falling further behind Barcelona.