Gareth Bale scored his first goal of the New Year just minutes after coming on as a substitute as he helped Real Madrid beat Espanyol 4-2 over the weekend.

Real were leading 3-1 thanks to Karim Benzema’s brace and Sergio Ramos’ 15th minute effort before Bale’s goal sealed victory for Santiago Solari’s side. He scored in the 67th minute after replacing Vinicius Jr in the 64th minute.

Real were put some under pressure towards the end after Raphael Varane was sent off and Espanyol pulled another goal back through Roberto Rosales, but they held on to claim all three points.

It was Bale’s first game for Real after in over three weeks, having missed the fixtures against Sociedad, Betis and Sevilla due to a calf injury.

Gareth Bale was an unused substituted as Real Madrid came up with a hard fought win over Espanyol at the Bernabeu. Julien Lopetegui’s side edged the fixture thanks to Marco Asensio’s 41st minute strike.

Bale was one of several first team regulars rested by Lopetegui with one eye on their upcoming away clash at Sevilla. The likes of Marcelo and Toni Kroos didn’t participate in the game either.

The win however sees Real draw level on points with arch rivals Barcelona, who drew 2-2 at home against Girona. Both teams now have 13 points from 5 games.

Gareth Bale missed Real Madrid’s weekend clash against Espanyol due to a hip injury picked up in their CL clash against Sporting Lisbon. Fellow superstar Cristiano Ronaldo also missed out on the game due to flu. Zinedine Zidane’s side triumphed 2-0 at the RCDE Stadium with James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema scoring for the visitors Continue reading →