Wales faced Ireland in their UEFA Nations League opener on Thursday night and Gareth Bale was on the mark with a stunning goal for the hosts.
After Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Real Madrid earlier this summer, the 29-year-old has been handed more responsibility from coach Julen Lopetegui so far this season.
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He has responded brilliantly, scoring three goals in three La Liga outings as well as providing an assist, and it appears as though he has taken that form into the international break too.
Wales ran riot against Ireland in the first half of their clash on Thursday night, taking a 3-0 lead after just 40 minutes with Bale scoring the pick of the goals with this stunning effort as seen in the video below.
The in-form forward will hope that he can maintain his current fitness and form for the foreseeable future to emerge as a fundamental figure for club and country this season, and the early signs are certainly promising, especially when he creates a magical moment like the one seen below.
Lopetegui will undoubtedly also want to see more of this at the Bernabeu in the coming months…