Gareth Bale scored against former club Tottenham Hotspur as Real Madrid won 2-0 in a friendly at the pre-season Audi Cup in Germany.
Playing against Spurs for the first time since his £85.3m world record transfer to Madrid, Bale provided the key moment in a pedestrian affair.
The Wales international swerved home on his left-foot from outside the box after James Rodriguez headed home the opener at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Erik Lamela missed Spurs’ best chance.
The Argentine winger skied over from a Kyle Walker cut-back in a busy opening 15 minutes that contrasted with the way the rest of the game played out.
Did Bale celebrate?
Bale had initially indicated he did not intend to celebrate
Bale initially appeared to indicate he did not intend to celebrate his goal, which came in the latter stages of the match.
He pointed his hands towards the ground and looked down, but with jubilant team-mates bearing down on him he then brought his hands together to make the familiar heart shape seen so often in his six years at White Hart Lane before he left for the Bernabeu in 2013.
His goal was certainly a strike to be proud of. The 26-year-old turned quickly towards goal before unleashing a vicious low strike that seemed to bamboozle goalkeeper Michel Vorm with its dip and pace.
Dutchman Vorm, standing in while first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris continues his recovery from a broken wrist, mistimed his dive and the ball went into the net via his arm.
Who else played?
Luka Modric was another former Tottenham player on show for Real, and the Croatia midfielder went close with a deflected shot Vorm did well to claw off the line in the first half.
Spurs youngster Dele Alli, in his first pre-season at Spurs since a £5m transfer from MK Dons in February, at one point nutmegged Modric in midfield.
The 19-year-old said he was disappointed with the result but put the moment of skill down to “natural instinct”, adding: “Hopefully I’ve shown what I can do.”
Although both sides put out strong line-ups, with Harry Kane among the starters for Spurs, there was no Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema for Real.
Ronaldo suffered a back injury during training on Monday, while Benzema pulled a muscle in his right thigh.
What next for Spurs?
Host club Bayern Munich play AC Milan in the tournament’s second semi-final later on Tuesday, with Spurs to play the loser in a third-place play-off on Wednesday.
That match will come just three days before the start of Tottenham’s Premier League season – Mauricio Pochettino’s men play Manchester United in a 12:45 BST kick-off at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Harry Kane started for Spurs as both sides put out strong line-ups
Bale bore down on goal before letting go with a fierce strike from outside the box for Real’s second
Former Spurs midfielder Luka Mordic also feature in the pre-season fixture
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Source: BBC Sport
Gareth Bale scored against former club Tottenham Hotspur as Real Madrid won 2-0 in a friendly at the pre-season Audi Cup in Germany.
Playing against Spurs for the first time since his £85.3m world record transfer to Madrid, Bale provided the key moment in a pedestrian affair.
The Wales international swerved home on his left-foot from outside the box after James Rodriguez headed home the opener at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Erik Lamela missed Spurs’ best chance.
The Argentine winger skied over from a Kyle Walker cut-back in a busy opening 15 minutes that contrasted with the way the rest of the game played out.
Did Bale celebrate?
Bale had initially indicated he did not intend to celebrate
Bale initially appeared to indicate he did not intend to celebrate his goal, which came in the latter stages of the match.
He pointed his hands towards the ground and looked down, but with jubilant team-mates bearing down on him he then brought his hands together to make the familiar heart shape seen so often in his six years at White Hart Lane before he left for the Bernabeu in 2013.
His goal was certainly a strike to be proud of. The 26-year-old turned quickly towards goal before unleashing a vicious low strike that seemed to bamboozle goalkeeper Michel Vorm with its dip and pace.
Dutchman Vorm, standing in while first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris continues his recovery from a broken wrist, mistimed his dive and the ball went into the net via his arm.
Who else played?
Luka Modric was another former Tottenham player on show for Real, and the Croatia midfielder went close with a deflected shot Vorm did well to claw off the line in the first half.
Spurs youngster Dele Alli, in his first pre-season at Spurs since a £5m transfer from MK Dons in February, at one point nutmegged Modric in midfield.
The 19-year-old said he was disappointed with the result but put the moment of skill down to “natural instinct”, adding: “Hopefully I’ve shown what I can do.”
Although both sides put out strong line-ups, with Harry Kane among the starters for Spurs, there was no Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema for Real.
Ronaldo suffered a back injury during training on Monday, while Benzema pulled a muscle in his right thigh.
What next for Spurs?
Host club Bayern Munich play AC Milan in the tournament’s second semi-final later on Tuesday, with Spurs to play the loser in a third-place play-off on Wednesday.
That match will come just three days before the start of Tottenham’s Premier League season – Mauricio Pochettino’s men play Manchester United in a 12:45 BST kick-off at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Harry Kane started for Spurs as both sides put out strong line-ups
Bale bore down on goal before letting go with a fierce strike from outside the box for Real’s second
Former Spurs midfielder Luka Mordic also feature in the pre-season fixture
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Source: BBC Sport