Diomande earns Real Madrid hard-fought win over Villarreal

Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Villarreal at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, with Yane Diomande scoring the only goal of the game in the 62nd minute.

The result moved Real Madrid up to 18 points in third place in La Liga, while Villarreal remain 10th on eight points.

Neither side managed to break the deadlock during a goalless first half, although Real Madrid had the better of the opening stages. Federico Valverde won possession at least three times in the first 15 minutes and repeatedly pressed forward to disrupt Villarreal’s attacks.

Villarreal showed courage in taking on the hosts and were helped by the post when it denied Kylian Mbappe from a first-time effort after Arda Guler had begun the attack.

Real Madrid were not playing badly, but their failure to finish attacks quickly began to frustrate them. The atmosphere was further affected by several refereeing decisions, including a failure to award a foul against Mbappe and the lack of a yellow card for Cardona.

The hosts also struggled down their left flank, where Elias repeatedly got the better of Carreras. That helped explain Villarreal’s decision to introduce Cucurella at the start of the second half. At the other end, Diomande was matched directly against Freeman and was able to beat him with ease, although he lacked the final pass at key moments.

Real Madrid were also unable to make the most of Guler’s ability to read the game. Trent Alexander-Arnold, however, appeared considerably improved, using his outstanding range of passing to switch play and control the tempo.

Valverde was moved to the right as Real Madrid sought to change the course of the match, while Guler played in a more central position that suited his abilities better. The second alteration was more significant, with Vinicius Junior introduced in an energetic spell. Diomande moved to the opposite flank, allowing the Brazilian to occupy his usual position.

Real Madrid became more aggressive, played with greater depth and began to threaten Villarreal more consistently. They also looked more vulnerable defensively.

That pressure finally produced the breakthrough when Diomande turned superbly to finish an attack led by Valverde from the wing. The assistant referee initially ruled the goal out for offside, but referee Diaz de Mera overturned the decision after a video assistant referee review.

Real Madrid appeared to have scored again when Aurelien Tchouameni won the ball, Jude Bellingham drove forward and Vinicius finished the move. However, the goal was disallowed after Vinicius had pulled Saliba’s hair, an incident that also resulted in the Brazilian being shown a red card in the 74th minute.

With 10 men, Real Madrid endured a difficult final period as Villarreal applied sustained pressure. Mbappe also lost his influence inside the penalty area, leaving Bellingham’s determined defensive work central to the hosts’ resistance.