It was a case of no Vinicius, no problem, for Real Madrid as they beat Cadiz 2-0 to close the gap on leaders Barcelona who play Sunday.
The Brazilian was rested for the first time this season and although his direct running and finishing were missed in the first half, Madrid found their range eventually via usual suspect Marco Asensio and via the far least likely route to goal of defender Nacho Fernandez.
Carlo Ancelotti had left Vinicius in Madrid with Toni Kroos, and also reserved Luka Modric and David Alaba on the bench.