Diomande's first goal and a 4-4-2 block beat Villarreal, even after Vinícius's red card.
The numbers
| Real Madrid | Villarreal CF | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 46% | 54% |
| Shots | 11 | 15 |
| xG | 1.43 | 0.59 |
| Touches in opp. box | 30 | 23 |
| Corners | 9 | 3 |
Result the chances deserved: Real Madrid 58% / 27% / Villarreal CF 15% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Rüdiger, Carreras, Valverde, Tchouaméni, Güler, Bellingham, Diomande, Mbappé.
Villarreal CF (4-2-3-1): Gulácsi, Freeman, Pau Navarro, Renato Veiga, Cardona, Foyth, Gueye, Akhomach, Comesaña, Moleiro, Ayoze Pérez.
Villarreal subs: Carlos Romero & Saliba (56', Foyth & Comesaña), Mikautadze & Gerard Moreno (67', Cardona & Akhomach), El Jmili (86', Moleiro). Villarreal coach: Iñigo Pérez.
Vinícius sent off 72' (straight red, violent conduct) after VAR ruled out his goal for pulling Saliba's hair at the start of the move. Booked: Bellingham, Konaté, Rüdiger, Tchouaméni, Mbappé; Renato Veiga, Pau Navarro; Mourinho was also booked on the bench (LaLiga 69', FotMob 67'). Mourinho skipped the post-match press conference. Shapes as listed by FotMob (LaLiga lists Villarreal as 4-3-3); sub minutes from LaLiga's match centre (FotMob's differ by a few minutes). xG is from FotMob's match page; Opta's report on FotMob's news page and Sofascore give Madrid about 0.95.
Key moments, move by move
- Valverde plays a through ball behind Villarreal's line.
- Diomande controls it in the middle of the box and turns.
- He shoots low with his right foot into the bottom corner. The flag goes up for offside, but VAR gives the goal.
Madrid's mid-block, and the run behind Villarreal's high line
- No high press: Madrid lined up 4-2-3-1 but defended in a 4-4-2 mid-block, waiting for the ball to reach the middle third before Tchouaméni or Bellingham stepped out (Goal). Villarreal had 54% of the ball and 15 shots, but only 0.59 xG (FotMob).
- Valverde as a third centre-back: when the ball went wide, Valverde dropped almost into the back line, closing the half-spaces that Villarreal's playmakers drifted into (Goal). Alexander-Arnold was kept deep instead of moving inside.
- Behind the high line: Villarreal built with Comesaña and Gueye dropping to make a back three and both full-backs pushed high. Mbappé hit the post in the 7th minute and Gulácsi saved from him twice. Valverde's through ball for Diomande's 62nd-minute winner went the same way (Real Madrid report).
- Ten men: Vinícius came on at 52', had a goal ruled out for pulling Saliba's hair at the start of the move and was sent off at 72'. Camavinga (77') and Dumfries (86') came on, Madrid dropped into a 5-3-1/4-4-1 hybrid (Goal), and Courtois saved from Romero at 77'.
Tactical scenes
Villarreal had more of the ball and more shots, but Madrid's block kept the middle closed and most of the shots came from distance. Real Madrid's report says Villarreal's first chance came only around the hour: Gueye's double effort from the edge of the box, saved twice by Courtois. Romero tested him again at 77'.
Evidence: Villarreal took 15 shots for 0.59 xG, about 0.04 xG per shot (FotMob). Madrid had 30 touches in Villarreal's box; Villarreal had 23 in Madrid's. Sofascore counts 8 of Villarreal's shots from outside the box and no big chances, against Madrid's three. FotMob match page · Real Madrid match report · Sofascore match report and stats
Recreate it in FM26
Real Madrid · Mourinho's mid-block and counter against Villarreal · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Mourinho's mid-block and counter against Villarreal
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Courtois | Goalkeeper | Line-Holding Keeper |
| RB | Alexander-Arnold | Full-Back | Holding Full-Back |
| RCB | Konaté | Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Rüdiger | No-Nonsense Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Carreras | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RDM | Valverde | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Wide Covering Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Tchouaméni | Defensive Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Güler | Wide Playmaker | Tracking Wide Midfielder |
| AM | Bellingham | Attacking Midfielder | Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Diomande | Inside Forward | Wide Midfielder |
| ST | Mbappé | Channel Forward | Central Outlet Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Attacking TransitionCounter-Attack
- Passing DirectnessMore Direct
- Build-Up StrategyMixed
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementMid Block
- Trigger PressLess Often
- Defensive TransitionRegroup
The idea: Defend in two banks of four, let the opponent have the ball wide and step out only in the middle third. Valverde as a Wide Covering Defensive Midfielder drops into the back line when the ball goes to the flank. Win it and go straight behind the high line for a fast Channel Forward: you need a runner like Mbappé and a midfielder who can play the through ball first time.
What FM26 can't copy: The ten-man spell (a 5-3-1/4-4-1 hybrid after the red card) is not part of this card.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Bernardo Silva on at 72' (for Güler), Dumfries on at 72' (for Diomande). Keep the plan: the mid-block held Villarreal to shots from range and the counter found the space behind. With ten men, close the game at once with Bernardo and a back five instead of waiting until 77' and 86'. It moves Real Madrid's win chance from 58% to 62% (xG 1.43–0.59 becomes 1.43–0.44). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Real Madrid needed
Bernardo Silva
Madrid played the last 18 minutes plus stoppage time with ten men against a side with 54% of the ball. Bernardo keeps possession under pressure and takes free kicks, as he did in the derby, so Madrid could have rested on the ball instead of defending every attack.
Vitinha
Madrid were booed off at 0–0 after a first half in which Villarreal's counter-press stopped them building. Vitinha takes the ball from the centre-backs under pressure and plays forward, so Madrid could keep the ball in games like this without giving up the counter.
What the analysts said
“In that position, I think the only option was to control, turn and shoot.”Yan Diomande, on his goal (Real Madrid)
“I don't understand what's happening with the referees, with the red card.”Aurélien Tchouaméni, to Real Madrid TV (beIN SPORTS)
“The joy continues. My apologies to my team and the fans.”Vinícius Jr, on social media after the match (beIN SPORTS)
Madrid won ugly, and winning ugly was the plan.
What's happening. Diomande's first Madrid goal beat Villarreal 1–0. The Bernabéu booed at half-time, Vinícius came off the bench and was sent off, and Madrid held on with ten men. The chances were clear, though: 1.43 xG to 0.59 (FotMob).
How it works. Mourinho did not press. Madrid sat in a 4-4-2 mid-block, kept the middle closed and let Villarreal have the ball out wide. Valverde dropped into the back line when the ball went to the flank. When Madrid won it, they went straight behind Villarreal's high line: the early shot off the post and the winner both came that way. The cost is long spells without the ball, and a crowd that wants more.
What the shots say. Villarreal took more shots, but almost all from range, and their whole night added up to less than one goal of xG. Madrid made the better chances. One reading: the block worked and the win was deserved. The other: with a one-goal margin and ten men for the last twenty minutes, one long shot that went in would have changed the story.