Three takeaways from Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Al Jazira in the Club World Cup
By Ben Sundock
Gareth Bale: the X-factor off the bench
The Welsh Dragon Gareth Bale has featured in just two matches since late September. The first was the Copa Del Rey second leg match against Fuenlabrada in Madrid.
Bale came on as a substitute in the second half with his team trailing 1-0. No more than 30 seconds after entering, the prolific winger played in a great cross to Borja Mayoral who headed the ball easily into the net to tie the match.
The second match Bale has featured in was today’s win over Al Jazira. With the match tied at 1, manager Zinedine Zidane went to the bench and brought the Welsh international onto the field. On his first touch of the match, Gareth redirected a low cross from Lucas Vasquez into the back of the net.
Bale has proven that he still has an incredible sense for goal and is one of the best in the world at creating chances, but the biggest question every fan and critic has is can he stay healthy for an extended period of time?
I floated the idea of Gareth possibly becoming a super sub for this team as he has proven he can score better than Karim Benzema.
However, he may be considered too expensive to be a super sub. Nonetheless, it was another great cameo from Gareth Bale and a huge goal.