The decisive moment came in the 62nd minute, when Federico Valverde split the visiting defence with a precise pass and Diomande finished across goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi. The goal, initially flagged for offside, was awarded following a VAR review.
Villarreal created opportunities of their own but could not find an equaliser. Their task became more complicated when Vinícius Júnior was sent off in the 72nd minute after a review ruled out his apparent second goal for Madrid because of a hair-pull on Nathan Saliba.
Pérez felt his players had done enough to take something from the contest, but admitted that their finishing had let them down.
“We lacked the finishing touch and the accuracy in attack to make it a complete performance,” the Villarreal coach said. “We have played a great match against a difficult opponent, in a stadium where you can see how difficult it is for visiting teams.”
The coach was particularly pleased with the work of his midfield, where Juan Foyth was used in a deeper role to help Villarreal compete in possession and limit Madrid’s dangerous transitions.
“By putting Juan in the number six position, we wanted to make the midfield more solid,” Pérez explained. “If you cannot control the midfield here, both in attack and defence, they start running and feeling comfortable.”
He added that Foyth and the other central midfielders had offered useful passing options, although Villarreal could have done more with the possession they enjoyed.
Madrid’s ability to attack immediately after regaining the ball remained a major threat. Pérez said those transitions were difficult to contain, particularly at the Bernabéu, where losing possession can quickly prove costly.
Foyth shared his coach’s disappointment, pointing out that Villarreal had competed across most statistical measures but had not turned their performance into points.
“Beating Real Madrid in their own stadium in practically every statistic is not easy,” the Argentine said. “We came here looking for the three points, and it is a shame because I think we had chances to get them.”
Foyth also praised Madrid’s response after Vinícius was dismissed, saying the hosts continued to press and run despite being a player short. He felt Villarreal could have been calmer in possession during that spell.
On the sending-off, Foyth said the referee had faced a difficult atmosphere but considered the decision correct under the rules. He rejected the temptation to prolong the controversy, instead insisting Villarreal needed to learn from the defeat.
Pérez also urged his players to retain their belief, arguing that competing so well at the Bernabéu should strengthen their confidence, even if the result was painful.
For Villarreal, the challenge now is to convert performances of this standard into victories.