Vinicius Jr. was beside himself after this bad-tempered affair. But all the Real Madrid superstar's fury over his red card fell on deaf ears, online too. Alongside a half-hearted apology, the Brazilian posted a photo montage showing no fewer than eight incidents from different matches in which opponents should have been booked or sent off. "And the one who always sees yellow and red is Vinicius - a disgrace," he fumed.
So what happened? After former Leipzig player Yan Diomande put Real ahead in the 62nd minute, substitute Vinicius seemed to seal it against Villarreal with a goal in the 71st. "Vini" celebrated wildly, cupped his ear and kissed the badge on his white shirt. Coach Jose Mourinho sprinted over from 50 metres away and threw his arms around him, but then VAR stepped in and ruled the goal out.
Earlier in the move, Vinicius had pulled his opponent Nathan Saliba by the hair, and by the laws of the game a red card was unavoidable. Vinicius did not see it that way. He screamed in the referee's face and "bodyguard" Antonio Rüdiger had to stop him doing worse. According to reports, referee Isidro Diaz de Mera Escuderos wrote in his report that the player showed an "aggressive attitude" and that the protesting Vinicius "had to be held back by team-mates". No specific insults are said to have been recorded.
Jose Mourinho skips press conference after Vinicius furore to avoid punishment
Even so, Vinicius is facing a suspension of at least two league matches for the offence. That would rule him out of next Sunday's game against Sevilla and the Clásico away to Barcelona a week later. "I'm sorry for my team and the fans," he wrote online, although the "joy" over his supposed 79th goal in his 250th league game for Real clearly remained.
Plenty of Madrid's other players were furious too. "I don't know what is going on with the referees, I don't understand this red card," said Aurelien Tchouaméni. Despite the 1-0 win, which kept the gap to arch-rivals Barcelona at six points, Real once again felt hard done by. Coach José Mourinho skipped the press conference in protest. "I want," he had the newspaper Mundo Deportivo report, "to be there against Sevilla and Barça." If Vinicius is already missing.
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