Gareth Bale stars among other Real Madrid returnees in 2-0 win over Celta Vigo

Marcelo, Marco Asensio, Keylor Navas and Isco witnessed their playing time cut significantly by predecessor Santiago Solari. Zidane’s decision to give all these players a fresh start worked well, with each of them putting on a good shift.

Bale was the player who stood out and possibly made a case for why he must enjoy more game-time. We take a look at how these players performed on their return.

KEYLOR NAVAS

With Thibaut Courtois enduring a woeful start to his Real Madrid career, it’s indeed surprising that it took this long for Navas to take the field again. The Costa Rican took his chance well and decorated his return with a clean-sheet.

The Madrid custodian was hardly tested by the insipid Celta  attack, but he responded well whenever he was. Navas prevented Madrid from going a goal down at the break by producing a spectacular save to deny Maxi Gomez.

Rating: 7/10

MARCELO

One of the best full-backs in the world a couple of seasons ago lost his place in the starting line-up to a young Sergio Reguilon under Solari. The Brazilian too marked his return with a solid performance in defence and a prolific shift in attack.

With three dribbles, two key passes and a couple of well-driven crosses, Marcelo was a constant threat on the left flank. He followed a good run with an inch-perfect pass to Bale in space to bag his assist and watch his team go 2-0 up.

Having said that, Marcelo still needs to work on his positioning, as he was several yards off his man when Sofiane Boufal was through on a counter. The Brazilian was lucky that Boufal threw away the opportunity, for it would have been entirely his fault had Madrid conceded.

Rating 6/10

MARCO ASENSIO

This was probably Asensio’s best performance of the season. Although, this feat is not really hard to achieve, credit must be given to the youngster for a top show, which deserved a goal or an assist at least.

The Spaniard proved to be more than a handful for Kevin Vasquez and Fran Beltran to deal with. He created quite a few goal-scoring opportunities but none of them were converted. Asensio completed four dribbles and was everywhere on the pitch. His sensational play to get past three defenders and set Benzema into space led to Madrid’s first goal.

This is a great platform for the Spain forward to build upon after a poor season.

Rating 8/10

ISCO

A mixed bag of a performance from Isco. The 26-year-old started in central midfield, but pushed high to form a line of two with Karim Benzema when the opposition had the ball.

He would later drop deep and involve in build-up play and link with Marcelo on the left.

In the first half, Isco seemed lethargic and uninvolved but he rectified his wrongs almost immediately and walked out on a positive note.

The Spaniard finished the game with a passing accuracy of 97 percent, completing 35 of the 36 passes he attempted. He also provided three key passes and was one of their most creative players, alongside Luka Modric.

However, he was not able to display a trademark “Isco” performance. The midfielder was not able to finish a single dribble and was dispossessed twice, one of which led to a threatening Celta counter attack.

Credit when due, Isco broke the deadline and converted Benzema’s cross  from close range before being replaced by Dani Ceballos.

Rating 7/10

GARETH BALE

Bale was arguably the best player on the pitch. The Welshman showed great intent, commitment and grit to put on a top-class performance. He scored Madrid’s insurance goal, but that alone can’t encapsulate his display on the night.

Bale’s work-rate was off the charts, as he patrolled on the wings, tracking back whenever needed. The three tackles he won make a case for his defensive contribution against a Celta side that started the game on the front foot.

The attacker swapped wings frequently and left the Celta defence guessing, with his dynamic positioning. He also swung in some accurate, inch-perfect crosses to Benzema and Asensio, but failed to win an assist.

The Welshman also hit the wood-work in the first half following a decent half-volley, but eventually stamped his name on the fixture by converting Marcelo’s set-up with great finesse.

Rating 8/10

Data from whoscored.com