Gareth Bale back to his best as Real thump Sevilla
Welshman scores twice, helping Real to crushing victory at the Bernabeu
Gareth Bale believes he is approaching his best form after scoring twice and providing two more goals as Real Madrid thrashed Sevilla 7-3.
Bale was making his first start at the Santiago Bernabeu and soon had his first home goal when he thumped in the opener on 13 minutes. He then had a slice of luck 14 minutes later as his free kick deflected in off Alberto Moreno for Real's second.
Cristiano Ronaldo then went on to score a hat-trick and Karim Benzema twice, with Bale setting up a goal apiece for his strike partners as the 24-year-old completed the 90 minutes for the first time since joining the club last month. "I felt good and completed the full game. After not having a normal pre-season it is important to pick up rhythm to be able to give my best," he said. "It was a great night. Obviously I needed time to improve physically, but I am very happy to have played the 90 minutes. That is very important for my fitness.
"We played very well tonight and hopefully we will have more games like this in the future.
"Now I need to keep improving and working hard to be at 100 per cent as soon as possible."
Victory moved Real back to within six points of Barcelona at the top of La Liga. Madrid are in action once more against Rayo Vallecano tomorrow before travelling to face Juventus in the Champions League next midweek.