Bale strikes as Madrid begin La Liga defence with 3-0 win over Deportivo
Gareth Bale struck a goal before assisting another as Real Madrid kicked off their La Liga defence with a comfortable 3-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna at the Estadio Riazor on Monday.
Madrid, who were playing without their suspended talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, put themselves ahead as early as in the 20th minute of the match when Bale notched up an opener from a very close range.
Just seven minutes later, Casemiro converted Marcelo's cross to double his side's lead before Bale assisted midfielder Toni Kroos just after the hour to complete the scoring, the Mirror reported.
The later minutes of the match also saw Depor striker Florin Andone miss a penalty before Madrid captain Sergio Ramos was shown the 23rd red card.
Ramos could have been dismissed earlier in the second-half when he received a yellow card for a slap on Deportivo defender Fabian Schar.
The Zinedine Zidane-led side will now lock horns with Valencia on August 28.