Real Madrid failed to beat third tier side Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey and had Gareth Bale to thank for avoiding what would have been a humiliating exit.
There were whistles at the break and at full time as Madrid fell behind to the minnows on 25 minutes and conceded a second goal late on to win 4-2 on aggregate but draw on the night.
Bale saved the home side’s blushes by creating both the goals that saw them into the last 16 after they had dramatically fallen behind.
Gareth Bale assisted Borja Mayoral’s second and came close to scoring on his return
Bale was handed a return by Zinedine Zidane (right) after being sidelined with a calf injury
Mayoral salutes the Bernabeu supporters after dragging the home side ahead
Luis Milla silences the Bernabeu supporters with his shock opener in the first half
Injuries come and go, more frequently for Bale than for most, but class is permanent and he was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch when he made his first appearance for two months in the second half.
His first touch was to control a pass wide right. He took three more touches to tee up his cross and with a majestic swing of his leg he planted a cross, with the outside of his left boot, on Borja Mayoral’s head. The centre-forward arriving at the back post headed the ball down and it bounced up on to the underside of the cross bar and over the line.
With his next involvement he cleverly stayed on side and flick the ball clear of the Fuenlabrada defenders before shooting at Pol Freixanet. The keeper blocked the effort but Mayoral followed in for his second goal. Panic over, Madrid were now 4-1 up on aggregate and home and dry. It had not looked that way at half time.
With Sergio Ramos, Marco Asensio and Dani Carvajal watching from their private box – with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema also among those rested – and half the Madrid team fresh from the B-team, the home side started with a 2-0 advantage which only lasted 25 minutes.
The goal conceded was a wonderful strike but keeper Keylor Navas should really have dealt with it.
Milla fires his 25th-minute strike past Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas to stun the Bernabeu
Mayoral celebrates his equaliser that was put on a plate by the Welshman Bale
The sight of Bale was refreshing for the Madrid supporters who cheered him onto the pitch
Zidane fielded a weakened side with Real taking a 2-0 aggregate lead into the tie
Bale gives a thumbs up ahead of his return to the Zidane’s Real first team on Tuesday
He was the outstanding goalkeeper of the 2014 World Cup, it was enough to earn him a move to Real Madrid and since then he’s won two Champions Leagues. But stories about the club replacing him have been ever present, from the failed attempt to secure Manchester United’s David de Gea to last summer’s attempt to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma from Milan.
This high profile error will reignite the speculation that Madrid need a new goalkeeper and maybe even as early as January.
Luis Milla was the goalscorer with a well hit shot from the edge of the area that Navas would have hoped to, at best, catch, and at worst push over his bar. Instead he made a strange movement in midair, tried to palm away the powerfully hit drive and was helpless as it bent his fingers back and went in under the bar.
Milla’s dad – a former Spain international who played for both Real and Barcelona – would have been proud of the strike.
He had been due to travel from Indonesia to watch his son in the stadium where he once won trophies.
‘I dream of scoring a goal against Madrid,’ young Milla had told Marca in an interview before the first leg. His dream had come true and Navas’ nightmare moment meant Madrid went down the tunnel at half-time knowing another goal from the visitors would put them level and heading for extra-time.
Navas will be disappointed after conceding two goals in both half’s in the Spanish capital
Full back Theo Hernandez is one of many Real players given a rare start
Fuenlabrada gained hope from the early goal as the looked to level the aggregate score
And Fuenlabrada might have scored on 56 minutes had Navas not reacted well at the near post to push away a Matheus Alas shot for a corner.
With this game looking like a formality and kicking off in the rain at 9.30 pm local time, there were just 49,000 in the stadium. But high up behind the North Goal around 2,000 Fuenlabrada fans were sensing their team really had a chance here.
They hit the bar on the hour through old war-horse centre-back Cata Diaz’s header – cue jeers from the Real Madrid supporters and Bale coming on for the last half hour.
For once he was cheered as he warmed up, and his name was chanted as he sprinted on to the pitch. He did not disappoint.
Alvaro Portilla grabbed a late leveller for the visitors and it was no more than they deserved. The game did nothing to dispel doubts over Zidane’s team. At least he has Bale back on the pitch where, evidently, he’s desperately needed.
While Real supporters and players alike will thank the stars for the return of Bale