Vinicius Junior, what are you doing?! Real Madrid star sent off for shoving Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski before Luka Modric & Jude Bellingham strike to seal comeback win

It was a hard grind away from home for Real Madrid as they found themselves trailing, thanks to a Hugo Duro goal in the 27th minute. Shortly after Jude Bellingham failed to convert from the spot, Kylian Mbappe thought he had equalised after the break but his strike was ruled out due to offside.

Madrid kept pushing for the leveller but found themselves a man short when Vinicius was flashed a red card for shoving Dimitrievski. It appeared to be a gentle push but the shot-stopper made the most of it as he immediately fell to the ground. There was a brief VAR check and the referee then asked the forward to leave the pitch.

Despite losing their talisman in Vinicius, the Spanish champions stole a march on their rivals as they scored through Luka Modric and Bellingham to clinch the three points. The Croatian ignited the comeback in the 85th minute and the unyielding pressure finally paid dividends as a defensive error from Valencia set up Bellingham to score the winner deep inside stoppage time.

Mestalla has not been a happy hunting ground for Vinicius as he was sent off in the same fixture in May 2023. However, on that occasion, the punishment was rescinded upon a successful appeal by the club. It is likely that Los Blancos will once again take the same route and hope that the decision once again goes in their favour. They will be back in action against Dep Minera in the Copa del Rey on Monday away from home.