Bale hopes for a turnaround in fortunes

Gareth

Bale has borne the brunt of criticism for Real Madrid’s recent decline but the Welsh forward hopes Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Roma to seal top spot in Champions League Group G can act as the catalyst to turn their faltering campaign around.

The 29-year-old has failed to score in his last nine league appearances and came in for scathing criticism following Saturday’s stunning 3-0 loss at Eibar. Rather like his team, though, he rose to the occasion in the Champions League and after a mixed first-half display, Bale broke the deadlock with his third goal in four European games. (Reuters)