The left wing scored. The man it replaced was sent off.

Before kickoff we said the real decision at the Bernabéu was the left wing, not the knee. Yan Diomande started there and Vinícius was on the bench. Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1–0 tonight, and the left wing decided the game in both directions.

Diomande scored in the 62nd minute, finishing first time from a Federico Valverde pass. It stood after a VAR offside check.

Vinícius came on for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 52nd minute. Around 20 minutes later he finished a counter set up by Jude Bellingham. VAR found that earlier in the move he had pulled Nathan Saliba's hair. The goal was ruled out and he was shown a straight red. Madrid played the rest of the game with ten men and held on.

Mbappé played the full 90 and didn't score. He hit the post in the opening minutes and was booked in stoppage time.

The crowd's verdict on Mbappé depends on which report you read. Cadena SER heard "more applause than whistles" when his name was announced. Mundo Deportivo says applause and whistles were about equal, and Vinícius was whistled too. Marca says the Bernabéu "arropó" (backed) him. EFE reports an occasional whistle in the warm-up, then neither applause nor whistles once he touched the ball.

The scrutiny followed a video of Mbappé on a bike, which he posted himself while recovering from the problem that kept him out of France duty, Cadena SER reports. Before the game Mourinho told the press, according to EFE: "If there are whistles at the Bernabéu, for you it will be a great victory."

Diomande took the wing and the goal. Vinícius took the red card. Camp Nou is 15 days away.

— Jet Callen / THE GRAPHS