Yan Diomandé’s first goal for Real Madrid was enough to beat Villarreal 1-0 at the Bernabéu in LaLiga, but the story of the night was everything around it, a half-time rethink of the two flanks Villarreal had targeted all first half, a goal ruled out and a straight red card for substitute Vinícius Júnior, and a Madrid side that looked tired but found enough structure to see the game out a man down.

Villarreal’s Shape Shifts, Madrid’s Flanks Are the Target

Villarreal maintained possession in midfield more often than not, and out of possession their 5-4-1 defensive block would spring into a 3-4-3, with the mid-block resembling more of a 5-2-3. Every version of the shape had the same objective, blocking the half-spaces so Madrid could not progress vertically, and being ready to transition into the space in behind Trent Alexander-Arnold and Álvaro Carreras.

Madrid started in a 4-2-3-1 base that became a 4-4-2 diamond in their high press, with the players instructed to go touch tight, man to man. When Villarreal got through, though, Madrid assumed the low-block shape of a back five, one midfielder tucking into the ball-side full-back position so the visitors could not create overloads in the wide areas and half-spaces to attack in behind the Madrid defence.

That naturally meant Villarreal focused on attracting pressure in the centre, so that their quick touches and lay-offs could play the ball over the top into space, or out to the wide areas for Ilias Akhomach and Alberto Moleiro. Madrid had the better looks at goal, Kylian Mbappé hitting the crossbar and forcing a save from Péter Gulácsi, but they looked tired, like so many of the top teams in Europe right now, and it was 0-0 at the break.

Mourinho Fixes the Flanks

José Mourinho’s changes went straight to the two zones Villarreal had been targeting. Marc Cucurella replaced Carreras at half-time, and on 52 minutes Vinícius came on for Trent, with Federico Valverde dropping in at right-back. Íñigo Pérez responded by sending on Nathan Saliba for Santi Comesaña and, on 56 minutes, Carlos Romero for Juan Foyth.

The goal came from that reshaped right side on 62 minutes. Valverde, now playing as the right-back, nudged the ball through for Diomandé, who turned instinctively at the far post to finish. The linesman’s flag went up for offside, but VAR overturned it, and the young winger was awarded his first goal for the club.

Mourinho, for his part, chose not to explain any of it. He declined to attend his post-match press conference at the Bernabéu, no member of Madrid’s staff came out in his place, and the club could now face a fine from LaLiga for it, so the half-time rethink will have to speak for itself.

Vinícius Goal Ruled Out, Red Card Shown

On 72 minutes Vinícius thought he had doubled the lead, finishing from close range after Jude Bellingham’s work down the left. But referee Isidro Díaz de Mera was sent to the monitor to review the build-up, which showed Vinícius pulling Saliba’s hair in midfield as he took the advantage to sprint forward out of reach of the midfielder in the same passage of play. The goal was disallowed and the Brazilian was shown a straight red card, a ridiculous, unsportsmanlike action that turned a comfortable position into a nervy finish.

Mourinho’s response was to protect the box. Arda Güler made way for Eduardo Camavinga, a larger, fresher body in midfield who could cover more ground as Villarreal pushed men forward and went for the game. It worked, and for all of Villarreal’s possession, they never found the space in behind that their game plan was built on.

Íñigo Pérez was the only manager to speak, and he explained the thinking behind his midfield. “You look to solidify the centre of the pitch because in this setting you don’t dominate it,” he said, adding that he was happy with how his three central midfielders had played. The frustration was all at the top end. “We’ve played a great game against this opponent and in a complex setting,” he said, “but we lacked the finishing and the accuracy to have a complete performance,” admitting that at times his side “could have done more damage with the possession”.

As for the red card and the tension around it, he was more relaxed: “It doesn’t surprise me what happened, it’s football and you have to treat it as natural.”

Verdict on Real Madrid

Madrid were not at their best, and on another night tired legs and a needless red card would have cost them. But the decisive moments came from Mourinho’s adjustments: the flanks Villarreal targeted in the first half were rebuilt at the break, the goal came from the new right-back, and Camavinga’s introduction gave ten men the legs to protect a one-goal lead.

Villarreal’s structure did its job for long spells, but without a way in behind it never turned possession into real danger. As for Madrid, they have the three points, but will this Vinícius red card cost them more than the result was worth?

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