Sports

Gareth Bale’s Goal Seals Copa del Rey Finals Win for Real Madrid

Gareth Bale’s Goal Seals Copa del Rey Finals Win for Real Madrid
Bernadine Racoma

Gareth Bale is the man of the hour. His brilliant solo goal late in the game sealed the Copa del Rey finals win for Real Madrid and he will be receiving his first silverware because of this feat. The finals was a very exciting game, for arch rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid were contesting which team would be the 2014 Copa del Rey champion. The final score? Real Madrid 2, Barcelona 1.

World’s most expensive football player

The Real Madrid win almost obscured the fact that it reportedly cost Real Madrid about $134 million (£85.3m) to bring the former Hotspur player to Spain. Now his solo effort that caused Real Madrid to hold aloft the Copa del Rey once again is considered priceless. It is the 19th Copa del Rey win for Real Madrid, but the first one under Carlo Ancelotti, their new Italian coach. Gareth Bale’s goal in the finals is his 20th after 39 appearances for Real Madrid.

Dismal start for Barca

Barcelona also spent large sums of money to get international players into their camp. But their recent signing did not fire up. For the first time since the beginning of 2003, Barca had three successive defeats – they were defeated by Atletico Madrid at the Champions League; lost in La Liga last Sunday and on Wednesday, they lost in the Copa del Rey.

Tense contest, as expected

With the long-standing arch rivals playing the finals, the atmosphere at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia was definitely tense. On Real Madrid’s side, fans were missing the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who, last month, tore his anterior cruciate ligament. All the Real players on the field were very lively, attacking with a frenzy during the first half, sending in the first goal after just 11 minutes of play. Bale had a hand on the first goal, after he set up Angel di Maria, who fired a low shot in the corner.

The second half was as tense as the first, but Barca was seen as struggling. Lionel Messi’s usual brilliance in the field was not evident. Barcelona’s young defender, Marc Bartra, had other ideas and sent a header into the net to even out the score on the 68th minute. About midway into the second half, the finals was almost a done deal but the header from Bale was dismissed. However, on the 85th minute, with the game almost going on overtime, Bale, pursued by Bartra, saw another opportunity to score.

With a surge of speed, Bale went past Bartra and kept his cool under the pressure of the advancing Barca goalkeeper, Pinto and the pursuing Bartra. He then just gave the ball a good poke to make the score.

Barcelona had another chance to level the score on the 90th minute but Neymar squandered it, sending the ball into the post.

Real Madrid will be facing Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the Champions League. They are also just three points behind La Liga leader Atletico Madrid.

Photo credit: Taken by Pablo Morquecho under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Comment Below
Sports

More in Sports

Real Madrid Player Ronaldo

After 5 Years of Waiting Real Madrid Wins La Liga

Bernadine RacomaMay 22, 2017
japan-prepares-to-surmount-language-barriers-prior-to-tokyo-olympics

Japan Prepares to Surmount Language Barriers Prior to Tokyo Olympics

Bernadine RacomaJanuary 6, 2017
49625737 - lewiston /idaho /usa_ 09 december  2015 _  donation collecting for salvation army for chrstmas charity

An Unintentional Christmas Gift to the Salvation Army from the NFL

Bernadine RacomaDecember 20, 2016
DayNews-Coach-Jerry-Kill

Coach Jerry Kill Prematurely Retires Due to Health Reasons

Bernadine RacomaOctober 30, 2015
Keylor-Navas-iker-casillas-real madrid

Iker Casillas Praises Keylor Navas

Day NewsOctober 7, 2015
Virtual Reality

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Uses Virtual Reality for Quarterback Training

Day NewsJuly 24, 2015
NadalSignature-DayNewsSports

Rafael Nadal Will Not Be Able to Defend U.S. Open Title Due to Injury

Bernadine RacomaAugust 20, 2014
Chile Celebrates Win over Spain

Defending Champion Falls: Spain Out of the World Cup

Bernadine RacomaJune 20, 2014
FIFAWorldCup2014DayNewsSports

FIFA World Cup 2014 Host Country Brazil off to a Good Start

Bernadine RacomaJune 13, 2014