By SoccerManiak · La Liga Matchday 8
Barça can't stop winning, Vinícius can't stop himself, and Mourinho can't find the press room.
Before we get to Real Madrid vs Villarreal, the headline: eight games, eight wins, 24 points. Barcelona are making La Liga look like a training session. On Saturday they beat Getafe 3-0 without Raphinha, who was out with a fitness issue: Anthony Gordon scored in the second minute, Gabriel Jesus added a second before the half hour, and Jules Koundé finished it on 73. It's their best start to a league season since 2013-14, and Raphinha still leads the scoring chart with 12 goals. Twelve, in eight games. I've scored fewer in my entire adult life.
Now my Madrid. Real Madrid 1, Villarreal 0 at the Bernabéu, and it was more sweat than shine. Kylian Mbappé hit the woodwork in the seventh minute, and the breakthrough only came on 62, when Federico Valverde slid a pass through for Yan Diomande to score his first goal for the club.
Then came the moment nobody will forget soon. Vinícius Júnior thought he'd made it 2-0, but the goal was ruled out because he had pulled Nathan Saliba's hair in the build-up, and he was sent off for it. Hair. Pulling. At the Bernabéu. Thibaut Courtois then had to make late saves from Carlos Romero and Georges Mikautadze to protect the points. Vinícius apologised on social media, and José Mourinho skipped the press conference altogether, which says plenty.
Now the bill has arrived: the Spanish federation's disciplinary committee gave Vinícius a four-match ban, which rules him out of El Clásico at Camp Nou. Madrid sit fourth on 18 points, six behind Barça, after Real Betis jumped above them with a 5-2 win over Osasuna.
Elsewhere, Rayo Vallecano v Athletic Club was suspended at 0-0 after fans protesting against club president Raúl Martín Presa showered the pitch with paper airplanes and small rubber balls. The game is expected to be replayed at a later date.
Up next: Real Madrid v Sevilla · Barcelona v Real Madrid, El Clásico
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