Osman Diomande proved to be the match-winner as Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Villarreal, earning three crucial points for Jose Mourinho and his side.

The Los Blancos enjoyed the upper hand for much of the contest, with Kylian Mbappe striking the woodwork and Arda Guler playing a key role in orchestrating their attacking moves. However, the breakthrough arrived midway through the second half, when Diomande finished off an excellent assist from Federico Valverde to put Real Madrid in front.

The closing stages were overshadowed by a dramatic incident involving Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian winger initially appeared to have doubled Madrid's advantage, only for his goal to be ruled out. Moments later, he was shown a red card for grabbing an opponent by the hair, leaving Real Madrid with ten men.

2026-27, Spain - La Liga

Real - Villarreal 1:0 (0:0)
Goals: Diomande Y., 62 (1:0)

Real: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold (Vinícius Júnior, 52); Konate; Carreras (Cucurella, 46); Rudiger; Tchouaméni; Güler A. (Camavinga, 78); Bellingham; Valverde F.; Diomande Y. (Dumfries, 86); Mbappé
Substitution: Cucurella (from 46); Vinícius Júnior (from 52 till 72); Camavinga (from 78); Dumfries (from 86)
Bench: Lunin Andriy; Mestre; Bernardo Silva; Diaz Br.; Pitarch; Endrick; Espi
Yellow Cards: Bellingham 19; Konate 81; Rudiger 83; Tchouaméni 87; Mbappé 90
Red cards: Vinícius Júnior 72'

Villarreal: Gulacsi; Freeman; Navarro; Foyth (Romero, 56); Veiga; Cardona S. (Mikautadze, 67); Gueye P.A.; Akhomach (Gerard Moreno, 67); Comesaña (Saliba, 56); Moleiro; Perez A.
Substitution: Saliba (from 56); Romero (from 56); Gerard Moreno (from 67); Mikautadze (from 67)
Bench: Júnior L.; Costa Lo.; Mourino; Diatta A.; Macia C.; Oluwaseyi
Yellow Cards: Veiga 10; Navarro 84