Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 6y

Returning Gareth Bale was 'great' for Madrid despite Copa struggle - Nacho

Stand-in Real Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez hailed Gareth Bale's "great performance" as a substitute as Madrid survived a Copa del Rey scare on Tuesday.

Two goals up from the first leg against third-tier neighbours Fuenlabrada, a much-changed Madrid went behind when Luis Milla struck midway through the first half.

Ex-Atletico Madrid defender Cata Diaz hit the bar after the break as Fuenlabrada threatened to level before coach Zinedine Zidane brought on Bale, after two months out with injury, with half an hour remaining.

The Wales international crossed for Borja Mayoral to head home and then had a shot saved, with Mayoral scoring from the rebound.

Alvaro Portilla still had time to make it 2-2 on the night as Zidane's side progressed 4-2 on aggregate, with Marca headlining its cover "Bale avoids a disaster."

Writing on Twitter afterwards, Bale said he had enjoyed his return to action.

And Nacho said afterwards that it was "fantastic" to have him back along with the fit-again Mateo Kovacic and Keylor Navas.

"We're really pleased for him and he put in a great performance," he said. "Kovacic also made his return after a long lay-off, as did Keylor. Bringing new players into the team is fantastic for us."

Mayoral told "El Transistor" that Bale had been keen to get back after 11 games out with hamstring and calf muscle problems.

"He really wanted to get on and play, and when he came in he did great," he said. "He put a great ball onto my head.

"He has had bad luck with injuries. Bale is a key player, and we saw that tonight."

Nacho added that it had not been a great performance, saying: "We achieved what we set out to, which was the important thing.

"Fuenlabrada are a Segunda B side, but they're a good team and performed very well and we've got to congratulate them for that.

"This was a chance for those players who don't get as much playing time, but everyone is ready to play, regardless of the sort of game it is.

"These matches allow us to keep ourselves sharp and confident."

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