Bale blockbuster breaks Barça hearts

By David Lee Wheatley

Real Madrid took home the King's Cup after a hard-fought meeting with arch-rivals Barcelona left the Catalan side's season crumbling down all around them.

Having lost to local foes Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions' League quarter-finals, the Blaugrana were hopeful of securing at least one major trophy this campaign in the domestic cup competition they last won in 2012.

The Copa del Rey final appeared delicately poised at 1-1 with just moments remaining inside a packed Mestalla in Valencia when Gareth Bale received the ball on the halfway line and set his sights on goal.

Angel Di Maria handed Real an early lead in the 11th minute, but Barcelona were level just over twenty minutes into the second half through a Marc Bartra header. In fact, Barça were looking the better side as normal time in the tie drew to a close.

However, Welshman Bale had designs on victory when isolating the tiring Bartra one-on-one in his favoured left-hand side area of the pitch. The Barcelona defender was in trouble the moment Bale knocked the ball several yards in front of him and began galloping towards goal; the power on display was extraordinary as he set off on a trademark lung-busting run.

Bartra tried to knock Bale off balance with a shoulder charge, but was unsuccessful in his attempts to stop the flying machine from gliding past him. Bale actually bounced off his opponent so severely that he ended up running off the field of play and into the coach's technical area in order to go around Bartra and reconnect with the ball. It proved just how quick and strong the former Tottenham man is when he literally had to take a round-trip to maintain possession.

Once Bale got back within the boundaries of the pitch, it was a losing battle for Bartra to put in a telling tackle. The world's most expensive footballer zeroed in on the penalty box before toe-poking the ball beyond Barça keeper Pinto to bring the house down in Valencia.

Despite Neymar's best efforts to equalise in injury-time when hitting the post, it was to be Real's night as Bale sealed his first trophy with Los Blancos following a summer switch from Spurs. His strike was worthy of winning any match and seems to have finally confirmed Bale's position at the top table of European football.

It's true that Bale's form and fitness fluctuated wildly at the beginning of his time in Madrid, but it must be remembered that he didn't have any involvement in Spurs' pre-season preparations due to the ongoing speculation surrounding his future in London. Therefore, considering the pressures caused by a protracted big-money transfer and the distinct lack of sharpness on arrival in a new country, it must be conceded that the 24-year-old has been a revelation overall and is only going to keep getting better with time.

Real remain firmly in the mix for both Champions' League and La Liga glory, as the first part of what would be an historic treble has been completed in sensational fashion ahead of the most crucial weeks of the campaign.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Bale bags brace at the Bernabeu

 

 

By David Lee Wheatley

 

Gareth Bale bagged two goals of his own and set up another two for Real Madrid as they romped to an emphatic 7-3 victory against Sevilla at the Bernabeu last night.

After a listless display in El Clasico last Saturday versus arch-rivals Barcelona, many in the Spanish media seemed determined to denounce Bale as a waste of money. This was in spite of the fact that he’d hardly played for Los Blancos since his world-record end of summer transfer from Tottenham through a catalogue of injuries that severely hampered his ability to settle into his stride in the Spanish capital.

Despite such strong and unwarranted criticism, the Welshman didn’t appear to be letting it affect him when playing an instrumental part in everything good about the home side yesterday evening. The winger was the chief reason they held a handy cushion to fall back on when Sevilla made a concerted effort to get back into the match from three-down, at one stage advancing to within one goal of their illustrious opponents.

Just 27 minutes in, Bale had already notched a nifty double to put his new club in command of the clash, before goalscoring phenomenon Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a third. A few jittery moments ensued when Sevilla brought the score back to 3-2 with five minutes of the first-half remaining through a Rakitic penalty and a Bacca strike. However, Benzema and Ronaldo stretched the lead further after the break prior to Sevilla grabbing a third, before the Portuguese superstar completed a fine hat-trick and Karim Benzema sealed the game with his second through a neat header.

Cristiano’s treble elevated him above the great Ferenc Puskas into fourth spot on the all-time scorer chart with an incredible 157. It’s a mark of the player that he’s reached such a landmark at the relatively young age of 28 and with many more years in the tank. At just 24, Bale will look to emulate his feted colleague in becoming a living legend in the eyes of those fans that behold him at the Bernabeu during his spell there; on this evidence, he may well have a realistic chance to do just that.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Spurs will be better without Bale

By David Lee Wheatley

With a mystery rival bidding for the signature of Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale alongside long-time suitors Real Madrid, it seems certain the Welsh wizard will be on his way out of White Hart Lane before the transfer closes in seven days.

Matters seemed to be reaching a conclusion when Real began retailing 'Bale 11' emblazoned shirts at their online store prematurely last week following weeks of speculation, but the revelation earlier today surrounding a potential alternative has complicated the deal.

Wherever the former Southampton star ends up, his sale guarantees Spurs a massive pay-day to the tune of around £90million when he does eventually move on. The north London club have already spent a large chunk of the expected windfall through the introduction of new boys Roberto Soldado, Paulinho, Etienne Capoue and Nacer Chadli and are still looking for more recruits in an effort to off-set the likely loss of last season's PFA Player of the Year.

There's no doubting Bale's ability and influence on the team during the last couple of campaigns, but the over-inflated value currently placed on his head will allow Spurs to continue bringing in fresh blood to strengthen every department of the side. Bale is an extremely talented footballer, but Spurs will reap the benefits if they simply let him go.

Spain is calling and Bale's already there in his head, so the best decision at this stage is to agree to a switch and move quickly in search of a suitable replacement before deadline day. One possibility, Willian, appears to have chosen Jose Mourinho's Chelsea over Spurs and therefore Roma's Erik Lamela is now the front-runner to join up and offer the same attacking spark delivered by the outgoing Wales international in recent years.

If the cash already laid out by Tottenham represents the amount they planned to shell-out in any event, then their coffers will be recharged to a level which would open the way for them to secure at least three absolutely top-notch, world-class footballers for the price of one.

With that budget Tottenham were already set to spend in mind, plus the world-record fee on the verge of being banked for a prize asset, Spurs are about to experience their strongest financial position for an age and must acknowledge the fact they'll be markedly better off without Bale.

Twitter: @davewh1980

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