Furious Mourinho cancels press conference after Vinicius red card

Real Madrid, who entered the game trailing Barcelona by 9 points, needed to win to keep pace with the league leaders, but endured controversy on the way to a hard-fought three points.

Vinicius Junior, introduced as a substitute in the second half, thought he had sealed the victory when he finished from Jude Bellingham’s pass. Mourinho even sprinted onto the pitch to join the celebrations.

However, a VAR review showed Vinicius had pulled the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba in the build-up. Referee Isidro Díaz de Mera disallowed the goal and showed the Real Madrid star a straight red card for violent conduct.

The decision left Mourinho furious. Around 40 minutes after the final whistle, La Liga officials informed waiting journalists that the Portuguese coach would not appear.

Spanish media reported that Mourinho chose silence deliberately to avoid disciplinary action that could see him banned from the touchline for upcoming matches against Sevilla and Barcelona.

“I’m not going to talk because I want to be on the bench against Sevilla and Barcelona,” he was quoted as saying by Spanish outlets.

Vinicius later apologised on Instagram, writing: “The joy remains. Sorry to my team and the fans.”

Real Madrid held on with 10 men to claim three points, but the red card and Mourinho’s media blackout dominated the aftermath.

The Brazilian now faces a potential multi-match suspension that could rule him out of El Clásico.