Madrid, Oct 17 (IANS) Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho defended Vinicius Jr. on Saturday as the Brazilian forward prepares to serve a four-match suspension following his dismissal against Villarreal last weekend.
Vinicius was banned for pulling the hair of Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba during Real Madrid’s 1-0 win, receiving a two-match suspension for the incident and a further two matches for protesting the referee’s decision. The sanction means Vinicius will not only miss the home match against Sevilla, but also the first ‘Clasico’ of the season away to FC Barcelona, followed by away matches against Racing Santander and Valencia.
“He’s a spectacular guy, and it’s easy to have a good relationship with him,” Mourinho said ahead of Sunday’s La Liga home match against Sevilla.
The Portuguese coach also played down suggestions that Vinicius’ substitution had been decisive in Real Madrid’s dramatic 4-3 Champions League victory over Roma on Wednesday, reports Xinhua.
Madrid scored three late goals to complete the comeback after Vinicius was replaced by Endrick, who played a key role in the turnaround.
Mourinho pointed out that he had made five changes during the match, insisting that “substitutions are simply part of football.”
The Real Madrid coach offered few clues about his starting lineup against Sevilla, emphasising the competition for places in his squad. “There are so many players who deserve to play: not just 11, but 15 or 16,” he said.
Earlier, Vinicius was sent off in the 73rd minute by referee Isidro Diaz de Mera after appearing to score for his side. However, following a VAR review, the goal was ruled out, and Vinicius was shown a red card for pulling the hair of Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba in an off-the-ball incident.
The player was given a two-match ban for the foul because the incident was “with the ball not being disputed,” with a further two matches imposed for the “aggressive attitude and needing to be held back by his teammates” during his protests to Diaz de Mera.
–IANS
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