MADRID -- Vinícius Júnior has apologized to his Real Madrid teammates and fans after being red-carded for pulling an opponent's hair in a dramatic, off-the-bench cameo during his team's LaLiga win over Villarreal on Saturday.
Vinícius was celebrating scoring what he thought was Madrid's second goal when it was ruled out following a video review and he was instead sent off after replays showed he had pulled Nathan Saliba's hair in the build-up.
"The joy remains. Sorry to my team and the fans," Vinícius posted on Instagram following the game.
However, the decision sparked an angry reaction from the Madrid bench. Coach José Mourinho later skipped his scheduled post-match news conference.
The Brazil international was left out of the starting XI by Mourinho -- replaced by Yan Diomande -- after the coach admitted that the forward has been unable to find his best form this season.
Vinícius was introduced on 52 minutes with the game tied at 0-0, with Diomande opening the scoring at the Bernabéu 10 minutes later.
Vinícius then looked to have made a decisive contribution when he converted Jude Bellingham's pass to make it 2-0, with Mourinho sprinting onto the pitch to celebrate with his players.
However a VAR check showed he had pulled Saliba's hair as he raced forwards. The goal was overturned, and referee Isidro Díaz de Mera showed Vinícius a straight red card.
"I don't understand what's happening with the referees, with the red card. I don't understand it," midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni told Real Madrid TV.
The referee's report said Vinicius had "disputed the [red card] decision, shouting, moving towards me with an aggressive attitude, and having to be restrained by his teammates."
The star's punishment will be confirmed this week by the Spanish football federation's disciplinary panel, but Madrid have just one more league game -- against Sevilla on Oct. 18 -- before they travel to Barcelona for El Clásico on Oct. 25.
Although, the decision left 10-man Madrid to nervously defend a narrow lead in the game's closing stages, Mourinho's side saw out the 1-0 win.
The result leaves Real Madrid in third place in the LaLiga standings, a point behind Atlético Madrid and six points behind leaders Barcelona.
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