Sunday 24 April 2016 08:30, UK
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane hailed match-winner Gareth Bale as "spectacular" after the Wales international inspired his team to come from behind to win 3-2 at Rayo Vallecano.
Bale pulled Madrid back into the game by heading home from a corner after Adrian Embarba and Miku had given Rayo a shock two-goal lead.
And the former Tottenham man grabbed the winner, his 18th league goal of the season, following Lucas Vazquez's equaliser.
Bale missed the 3-0 win over Villarreal in midweek through injury and the pressure was on him to deliver for Madrid in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who missed a first league game of the season with a thigh problem, while Karim Benzema was substituted before half-time with a suspected muscle injury.
"I'm very happy with him and he's very happy for being able to make the difference," Zidane said after the match
"He's a spectacular footballer and he demonstrated that today by scoring a decisive goal. Bale has not been fit for long, but physically he was good today.
"More than his two goals he did both offensive and defensive work very well. He improved physically as the game went on, which is important for him and the team. He had a little discomfort, but today he was phenomenal."
Zidane was also pleased with how Madrid got back in the game after conceding the two early goals.
"It's very important, because it's not easy [to come back] when you're losing 2-0 and we did it," he said.
"We proved that after conceding goals we could get back into the game. We made up the difference because we were patient and we knew that we had quality players who could make the difference. Sometimes, you have to be patient when things aren't going well."
Zidane could not give full details on Benzema's fitness after taking the striker off in the 42nd minute, with the Champions League semi-final first leg at Manchester City coming up on Tuesday, but confirmed Ronaldo was set to recover in time for the Etihad Stadium clash.
"We have to see if he's fit to play City or not, it wasn't a knock. We have to see how he is now, I hope it's nothing and that he can play," Zidane said on Benzema.
And the coach said the manner of win over Rayo would serve his team well against the Premier League side.
"There are no easy games and we knew that this was a difficult ground," he said. "We had difficulties but we've overcome them.
"It's a good game to have before City, but now we have another battle. It's a completely different game and we're going to prepare for it well."
