Karim Benzema scores on his 400th appearance as Gareth Bale bags a brace in the straight-forward win
Gareth Bale showed that Cristiano Ronaldo is not the only Real Madrid player timing his best form for the run-in to the season, as he scored twice in his team’s 3-0 win over Las Palmas.
With Ronaldo resting Bale led Real Madrid to victory with a brace that means he has now scored 10 goals since the turn of the year.
Such is the competition in Zinedine Zidane’s forward line that it is unlikely to be enough to earn him a starting berth when Real Madrid play Juventus in Turin in the Champions League quarter-finals first leg this week but it was a reminder of what he is still capable of.
If Real Madrid do leave him on the bench for the big games between now and the end of the season no one in Europe will have a better attacking substitute.
He almost set up the first on 22 minutes when Luka Modric won the ball, Karim Benzema nudged it on to Bale, and from his cross from the left, Marco Asensio fired a low shot which was pushed away by Leandro Chichizola.
Las Palmas are fighting a relegation battle and so Madrid keeper Keylor Navas was seeing plenty of action. First he saved from Alen Halilovic and then he watched Momo’s shot go just wide of his post. But on 27 minutes Real Madrid were in front.
Modric’s long pass was perfect for Bale who took two touches without breaking stride and then with the third lashed the ball left-footed high past Chichizola to make it 1-0.
The good news for Real Madrid was followed by some bad news as Nacho hobbled off. He looked distraught as he took his place on the bench with a towel over his head. The early diagnosis is a hamstring strain in his right leg.
His reaction perhaps owed more to the fact that it was the first time in 16-years as a footballer that he had to hobble off mid-game. Incredibly, he has never been injured.
Madrid doubled their lead when Jonathan Calleri took a swing at Lucas Vazquez in the area and gave away a penalty. It was a wild unnecessary challenge and there were few complaints when the referee Pablo Gonzalez pointed to the spot.
Chichizola dived the right way but Benzema’s kick was well hit and right in the corner.
It was a fine way to celebrate his 400th game for the club. He was wearing the captain’s armband and he had exercised his authority by rejecting Bale’s tentative request to take the kick.
Bale would get his chance from the spot in the second half. He was playing with confidence flicking a clever pass to Theo Hernandez late in the first half that went between his legs sending the full-back through before he was chopped down by Alejandro Galvez who was booked.
Daft challenge number two came from Las Palmas on 51 minutes. It was Ximo Navarro who kicked Bale after he had got his shot away in the area. Bale picked himself up and with a stop-start run-up he shot straight down the middle to score.
It was his tenth goal since the turn of the year – not a bad return for someone no long first pick for the big games.
Bale almost completed his hat-trick but Benzema’s pass was slightly over-hit. Benzema should then have scored from Vazquez’s cross but shot straight at the keeper. And Navas got himself into a tangle playing out of his own area at the other end. He got away with it because Erik Exposito’s shot was as wild as some of Las Palmas’ defensive challenges.
Real Madrid saw at time to seal the victory. Their attention now turns to Juventus on Tuesday when they will have the rested pair Ronaldo and Isco back in the team, and Bale on brilliant form, probably watching from the bench.