THAT’S HOWL IT IS DONE
Bale & Co brush off the Wolf pack
REPORTS of Gareth Bale’s demise as a footballer would seem to be premature.
The Tottenham darling started here in Budapest, made the first goal, scored a classy second and – subbed shortly after an hour – might well have clinched a starting role at West Ham on Sunday.
Boss Jose Mourinho said: “One of the reasons why we took him off after 64 minutes was to try to have him ready for the next match.
“By taking him off then, we managed to save him a few miles in his legs. I know the match is on Sunday at 12pm – but I believe he has a chance to play. So let’s wait.
“He is the kind of player whose experience and feelings are important. We have to trust these players and their knowledge of their body.” Bale’s display was quite the riposte for those questioning his appetite for the game after those four Champions League trophies at Real Madrid.
Carp if you want about the opposition. In fact, I’ll do it for you. Wolfsberg are the lowestranked team left in the competition and sit sixth in the Austrian Bundesliga.
But we’ve all seen just how often English teams have slipped up against so-called no-hopers in Europe. So Spurs deserve credit for putting them to the sword in the Puskas Arena – Bale in particular.
Showing glimpses of that old magic during the first 45 minutes, he ate Wolfsberg alive.
Thirteen minutes in, Lucas Moura drifted in from the left and played a square ball to
Matt Doherty, who slipped the Welshman in down the right.
And Bale’s low cross enabled Son Heung-Min – starting up front while Harry Kane rested in London – to head home.
Then came Bale’s turn to take centre stage in the 28th minute.
Moving towards the right byline, he checked back to leave left-back Jonathan Scherzer on his backside before guiding the ball home.
Moura’s goal, six minutes later, was even better. Like a skier weaving between flags, the Brazilian ghosted past Wolfsberg players on a 40-yard run down the left. Once in the box, his finish was emphatic.
Wolfsberg had a glimmer of hope 10 minutes after the break. Moussa Sissoko brought down Christopher Wernitznig in the box for Michael Liendl to net a penalty.
Wernitznig hit the underside of the bar as well.
But a late close-range finish from substitute Carlos Vinicius has surely killed the tie.
The night, however, belonged to Bale, who may be ready to make his mark with every game for Spurs now a big one.