Gareth Bale marked his return to action with a goal as Real Madrid battled their way to a 2-0 win over RCD Espanyol at Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga Santander.
Real Madrid had to battle on Saturday at Santiago Bernabeu against a resilient RCD Espanyol side. But, their efforts gave them just rewards as they ran out 2-0 winners to maintain their push to reclaim the lost La Liga crown.
And the game was marked by a sweet return to action for Gareth Bale, who was brought on by Zidane in the 71th minute as the Frenchman hoped to give his elite forward a run in after months spent on the sidelines.
And the Welshman scored on his return to action, a goal that is reminiscent of several of his marauding runs.