Vinícius Júnior apologised to his Real Madrid team-mates and the club’s supporters after being sent off in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The Brazilian forward posted a short message on his Instagram account after the final whistle, having been shown a red card in the 72nd minute. “The happiness continues. I apologise to my team and its supporters,” he wrote, celebrating the victory while expressing regret for leaving his team-mates a man down in the decisive stage of the match.
A disallowed goal and a red card
The dismissal came in one of the most controversial moments of the evening. Coming on as a second-half substitute, Vinícius struck the ball into the net and briefly appeared to have doubled Real Madrid’s lead. The referee, however, disallowed the goal. He ruled that Vinícius had committed a foul on a Villarreal defender in the build-up, pulling Saliba’s hair during the challenge that preceded the shot.
The referee showed Vinícius a red card at the same moment and sent him off down the tunnel. The Brazilian left the pitch visibly furious and gestured in protest as he walked off.
Real Madrid hold on
Real Madrid were forced to protect their advantage with ten men. Yan Diomande had scored the only goal of the match in the 63rd minute, and his side held on to secure the win.
Frustration spills over online
Vinícius vented his frustration again shortly afterwards. He shared a new post on his Instagram stories, complaining about the treatment he believes he receives from referees time and again. “The player who always gets both the yellow and the red card is Vinícius, what a disgrace,” the comment read. It was accompanied by a collection of images from different matches, in which the player argues that opponents avoided a booking despite fouling him or striking him.