Zinedine Zidane expressed his delight at Gareth Bale’s “amazing” performance during Real Madrid’s 3-1 win at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
Bale scored and assisted on his return to Madrid’s starting XI as Los Blancos moved six points clear of Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League group, courtesy of a first-ever victory at Signal Iduna Park.
“Bale? hope there are more turning points for him,” the Coach said after the game.
“We found Gareth in a very good way. The important thing is that he scored a goal. I’m happy for him and Cristiano.
“We had more chances, but ultimately it was a very good result at a very difficult place to play.
“We’d never won here, and the result was important. His calf? It’s nothing serious, it’s just a pull.
“We were very good in the middle of the park. The key today was to get the ball off Borussia and we did it in the best way possible.
“The first half, in terms of position and pressure, was spectacular. They were key.
“Dortmund a team that play in your face? We saw that a lot, they’re a team that play [football] and want possession of the ball.
“We made it so complicated for them with our counterattacks. They thought they could cause us problems by sticking with their usual game, but we countered them very well.
“Good performance in the CL? I don’t know what it is, but when you play like this, you think it’s your competition, but we played like this in La Liga too last season and we’ll try to do the same on Sunday, although the Champions League is special.
“It’ll be a very difficult season and there’s still a lot of it left. We can be happy with what we did today.
“We have to congratulate all the players for how they played and we were rewarded very well for it.
“It wasn’t just another game. We’d never won here. We discussed how they were a team that could make it difficult for you at any moment yesterday.
“We had a great game. They’re only three points, but we have six now, as well as a win against a team we’d never beaten.
“Bale? I get the feeling that each time he plays, we’re seeing him with the legs he had before.
“I’m happy because it hasn’t been easy for him. When you see Cristiano and Gareth playing this way, it makes you happy.
“They played very well. When you see Bale score a goal like that, It’s amazing for him.
“His position? He was supposed to start up top with Cristiano, but [pulling to the left] is a natural movement for him.
“This match was good because Borussia played with a very high line and could’ve been lethal.
“It was a perfect game from start to finish, we played very well. The first half was spectacular, the second half too.
“We can be happy with an effort like this. Playing with authority was key. Lack of accuracy? We scored three, and ultimately it’s important to score more than your opponents.”
