Barca extends winning run, Vinicius sees red

BARCELONA — Anthony Gordon scored his first goal for Barcelona as the Spanish champion extended its perfect start in La Liga with a 3-0 win over Getafe on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid finished with 10 men against Villarreal after Vinicius Junior was sent off for hair pulling in a 1-0 victory, with Yan Diomande's goal keeping Jose Mourinho's side, third, on Barcelona's tail.

Los Blancos are six points behind Barca and one shy of Diego Simeone's second-placed Atletico Madrid, which snatched a late 2-1 win at Alaves.

England winger Gordon opened the scoring for Barca in the second minute and Gabriel Jesus added another after half an hour for the league leader, which has won every match it has played this season.

France defender Jules Kounde tucked home the third from Lamine Yamal's cross to cap Barca's solid win against Jose Bordalas' side at Camp Nou.

Barca was without their top scorer Raphinha, who is nursing a hamstring problem that he developed during the international break with Brazil.

Flick replaced him with former Arsenal striker and Selecao compatriot Jesus in his side, which came roaring out of the blocks.

"Being at Barca is a dream. Playing with these players is very easy, too, everyone plays very well," Jesus told DAZN after his first start and third goal for the club.

"That makes it easier for me as a striker to have chances, and I'm ready to score the goals.

"(But) I hope Rafa can recover quickly, because, of course, the team misses him."

Gordon, who has impressed since joining this summer, grabbed his first Barca goal with a low deflected effort after bundling his way past three players.

He was Barca's brightest spark in the first half, continuing his fine goalscoring form from England's recent Nations League matches.

"He's doing very well," said Flick of Gordon.

"He scored with England. He has a lot of confidence, he gives us a lot."

Getafe defender Zaid Romero gave the ball away in his own box for Barca's second, passing it straight to Jesus, who stroked into the bottom corner.

The otherwise quiet Yamal supplied Kounde for the third, as Barca secured a ninth win from nine games across all competitions.

Narrow victories

Diomande, Real Madrid's record 140-million-euro ($157-million) signing, scored his first goal for the club to help it edge past Villarreal, but the game was marred by Vinicius' dismissal.

The Brazil international came on as a substitute and scored, but his goal was disallowed and he was sent off after a VAR review showed he pulled the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba in the build-up.

"Sorry to my team and to the fans," Vinicius said in post on his Instagram account.

Mourinho's Madrid battled through the final stages with 10 men, but held on to its slender lead earned by its 19-year-old winger.

Despite Madrid's victory, Vinicius' red card left a bitter taste for Los Blancos, with the Brazilian running the risk of a potential ban that could keep him out of the season's first Clasico on Oct 25.

"I don't know what's going on with the referees, with this red card, I don't understand," said Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

"But, the most important thing is the victory."

Mourinho declined to attend his post-match news conference in protest at the refereeing, a club source said.

The Madrid coach had complained bitterly about refereeing decisions that did not go his team's way in the derby defeat to Atletico just before the recent international break.

Striker Kylian Mbappe was fit to start the match for Madrid and hit the post in a largely dull first half.

Home fans were not happy with the team at halftime, but after 63 minutes it was able to celebrate Diomande's first goal, a sharp low finish into the far corner after being set up by Federico Valverde.

The drama with Vinicius followed, but, in part thanks to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Madrid was able to clinch three important points.

Earlier, Cristian Romero's 87th-minute header earned Atletico Madrid a narrow win at 10-man Alaves.

Alejandro Grimaldo put Atletico in front before Lucas Boye equalized from the penalty spot for Alaves before the interval.

Angel Perez was sent off for the host in the second half and Romero's header from Alex Baena's cross late on secured the victory.

"It's always important that the goal comes. (It doesn't matter) from where it comes, as long as it comes," said Simeone.

AFP