REAL MADRID thrashed Osasuna on Sunday but fans were still left fuming with Gareth Bale’s performance.
Zinedine Zidane’s side fought back from a goal down to win 4-1 in Pamplona to recover from their midweek Copa del Rey shock at the hands of Sociedad.
Gareth Bale couldn’t get in on the fun as Real romped to three pointsCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS
But supporters were far from happy with the contribution of Bale, who lasted 71 minutes on his first La Liga start for a over a month.
Stats show the Welshman, 30, failed to complete a dribble and was wayward with his three attempted shots.
But the numbers only go some way to fully demonstrating Bale’s laboured display that fans latched onto as the latest example of his decline.
Even though the Welsh ace was on the comeback from an ankle injury, he was targeted for appearing lethargic.
Twitter user Amer deemed it: “Sickening game from Bale, I really can’t be more patient with him!! Every round he drops a disasterclass over another one. Hope we get rid of him asap!”
Kiyan added: “Bale’s legs look like they weigh 500 lbs each today.”
Matt wrote: “Gareth Bale just produced the poorest 45 minutes I’ve seen from a Real Madrid forward in a very long time.
“I’m willing to bet that when Marco Asensio returns from his 9 month injury, he will produce more in a 15 minute cameo than what we just saw from the Welshman.”
Omar said: “Lmao Bale is a joke and Zidane is a bigger joke for playing him.”
Sergio Ramos copied old team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebration after netting for Real MadridCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Luka Jovic added the fourth for Real Madrid in a 4-1 romp against OsasunaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Real were behind early at the El Salar Stadium after Unai Garcia nodded the mid-table hosts ahead.
But rapid replies from Isco and Sergio Ramos – toasted with a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque celebration – gave Los Blancos a half-time team.
Lucas Vazquez and Luka Jovic added gloss to the scoreline with late strikes as Madrid opened up a six-point lead over Barcelona at the top of the table.
Yet, despite their side’s 14-game unbeaten run, fans were still left unhappy with Bale.
Supporters latched onto the player’s back during the week when he was spotted driving away from the Copa del Rey defeat to Real Sociedad with ten minutes left.
His agent Jonathan Barnett stated he was simply “avoiding traffic” having not been called up to the game.
But many in Madrid do not want to see Bale given another chance after almost leaving for China in the summer and then Tottenham in January.
Real pulled the plug on that switch to Asia and he was brought back into the fold by Zinedine Zidane, although the coach’s reward for that has been a return of three goals in 16 appearances.
Gareth Bale leaves shock Real Madrid defeat early with his side trailing 4-1
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
