Gareth Bale scored and cleared the ball of the line in Real Madrid's game with Arsenal
Gareth Bale scored and cleared the ball of the line in Real Madrid's game with Arsenal

Real Madrid 2-2 Arsenal: Gareth Bale scores but his future remains unchanged


Gareth Bale starred as a second half substitute in Real Madrid's pre-season friendly penalty shoot-out victory over Arsenal, but his future at the Spanish giants remains unchanged to manager Zinedine Zidane.

The Wales international scored, cleared the ball off the line and also missed a penalty in Real's International Champions Cup clash with the Premier League side, which finished 2-2 before Real went on to win on penalties.

Boss Zidane had stated previously that Bale will leave the club this summer and repeated his sentiment after the match: "He put in a good performance and I'm pleased for him. But nothing has changed, you know the situation.

"He played today, he wanted to and he did a good job.

"He wanted to be with us today. He trained normally and played the match. I make the decisions and he played one half. We'll have to see what happens. He's still here with us at this stage."

The 'friendly' seemed anything but that, as both sides received red cards, as the Gunners blew a 2-0 lead.

Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the English side two goals to the good, after Real full-back Nacho was sent off in the ninth minute for handling the ball on the line.

BREAD: Bale set for Paris? Options assessed

Arsenal were also reduced to 10 men on 40 minutes when Sokratis was shown two yellow cards within a minute of each other, and Real pulled the two goals back after half time through Bale and Marco Asensio.

Bale also cleared a Calum Chambers shot off the line, but had a weak penalty effort saved easily by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as the his side won the shootout 3-2.

Bale has been linked with a move to China, but his agent has said they will not be forced in to leaving Real and Bale could still see out his contract there.

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