Real Madrid won the first of what it hopes will be three major trophies this season as Gareth Bale’s late goal proved to be decisive in the Copa del Rey final againstBarcelona in Valencia. The win marked the first trophy of Bale’s professional career, but the Wales international still has the opportunity to lift two more trophies, as Real finds itself secondin La Liga, three points behind leader Atletico Madrid, in addition to being in the UEFA Champions League semifinals against Bayern Munich, which begin next Wednesday.
Real won the matchdespite conceding most of the possession to Barca and while missing star player Cristiano Ronaldo due to a hamstring injury. But Carlo Ancelotti’s menalways looked dangerous on the counterattack, which is precisely how they scored both goals. With seven minutes to go and the score tied at 1-1, Bale picked up the ball in his own half, pushed itahead of Barca defender Marc Bartra, and sprinted after it. Though Bartra tried to foul the Welshman, he still managed to beat the central defender to the ball, bring it inside thepenalty area and then coolly slot it home between the legs of the onrushing Jose Pinto with his left foot.
“It’s a dream come true, not just because I scored but because ofthe work of the whole team,” Bale said. “It was really special. We’ve won the first of the three available titles and we have to keep fighting for everything. But now we have to be thinking about thenext game and nothing else. This win is for all the fans and we hope that it will be the first of many to come. Thank you all for your support during the season. We have worked hard as ateam.”