Gareth Bale breaks goal drought as Real Madrid see off Huesca
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Gareth Bale ended a three-month goal drought in La Liga to give Real Madrid a nervy 1-0 win away to basement club Huesca on Sunday, taking his side back into the top four at the expense of Alaves.
The Wales forward, who had not found the net in the league since Sept. 1 but had scored in the Champions League, gave Real an ideal start by volleying home a cross from Alvaro Odriozola in the eighth minute.
Huesca, bottom of the table with a meagre seven points and without a win since the opening day of the season, did not lay down against the European champions though, and it took a flying save from Thibaut Courtois to prevent Ezequiel Avila levelling soon afterwards.
Bale was denied another goal in the second half by Huesca's keeper and the home side laid siege to Real's area in the final stages but fell short of an equaliser as Courtois tipped a dangerous free kick over the bar in stoppage time and Dani Carvajal made a frantic clearance.
Real's eighth win in nine games in all competitions under coach Santiago Solari saw them climb above Alaves into fourth in the standings on 26 points after 15 games, five behind leaders Barcelona. Reuters
Match preview
What time does it start?
Huesca vs Real Madrid kicks off at 3:15pm (GMT)
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Eleven Sports 1 from 3:10pm and on their La Liga TV channel from kick-off. Fans can also watch the match on Eleven Sports through iOS mobile and tablet apps as well as on Android mobiles.
Highlights will be shown at 10:45pm on Eleven Sports’ La Liga TV channel.
Player to watch…
Luka Modric: The Croatian broke Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s dominance over the Ballon d’Or by claiming the prize on Monday evening in Paris. The 33-year-old stated that the award capped a very special year for him, but Santiago Solari will need similar performances from Modric that saw him claim the award as Real Madrid look to get themselves back in contention in the title race. He delivered such a performance last weekend by helping a young midfield overwhelm Valencia, but that has been a rare sight for the Madrid faithful so far this campaign.
Form guide…
Huesca: DLDLLL
Real Madrid: WWLWWW
Odds…
Huesca to win: 15/2
Real Madrid to win: 3/10
Draw: 23/5
On the evidence of what we've seen so far, there doesn't seem to much danger of Real Madrid running away with this one.
Huesca 0-1 Real Madrid
53 minutes
Huesca continue to put pressure on the visitors. Courtois is forced to punch away a corner and then to deal with an ambitious shot from distance.
Huesca 0-1 Real Madrid
55 minutes
Vazquez collects the ball with space to run at the Huesca defence. He lines up a shot and looks to pick out the bottom corner, but his effort is blocked.
Huesca 0-1 Real Madrid
57 minutes
Ferreiro is really causing problems on the left. He cuts inside and hits a shot that speeds towards goal. Courtois stretches out a long arm to tip it over the bar, and Real survive the resultant corner. An equaliser for Huesca is looking increasingly likely.
Huesca 0-1 Real Madrid
58 minutes
A first change for Real Madrid: Valverde replaces Ceballos in midfield.
Huesca 0-1 Real Madrid
59 minutes
Another dangerous home attack, and once again Ferreiro leads it. He cuts in and curls a delicate cross towards the back post. There's just too much on it for any of his teammates, though.
Huesca 0-1 Real Madrid
62 minutes
Ramos wins the ball on the halfway line and feeds Bale, who powers forward and forces another good save from Jovanovic. He's been Real's most lively player by some margin.
Huesca 0-1 Real Madrid
64 minutes
Real do not look comfortable at the back. Huesca are finding space and exploiting it well; they just lack the end product.
Huesca 0-1 Real Madrid
66 minutes
An underwhelming game for Ballon d'Or winner Modric comes to an end. He's off, replaced by Isco.
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