Bale finally breaks longest ever Liga drought with Huesca winner

Gareth Bale ended an 802-minute wait for a goal in La Liga with a first half strike to secure victory for Real Madrid against Huesca on Sunday.

The former Spurs man arrived at the back post to volley home a cross from right-back Alvaro Odriozola after just eight minutes, with the Galacticos able to hold on to record their fourth consecutive win in all competitions against a side who are currently bottom of La Liga.

The goal ends Bale’s longest ever goal drought in the Spanish top flight, having gone 40 shots and 802 minutes without a goal before his strike on Sunday.

His previous league goal for Real Madrid came in their 4-1 win against Leganes on September 1.

Altogether, he has now managed four league goals for Solari’s side so far this season, as well as three more in the Champions League.

This was the Welshman’s first La Liga goal since Solari took over from former manager Julen Lopetegui, who was sacked at the end of October.

Bale had four shots on target against Huesca, more than any other Real Madrid player in a Liga game this season.

Despite his goal, Real Madrid only attempted five shots against Huesca, their lowest total in a league game since February 2015 against Atletico de Madrid (four).

Striker Karim Benzema failed to register a single shot in a game for the first time this season in all competitions, with the Frenchman having now scored against 33 of the 34 teams he has faced in La Liga, failing only against Huesca.

There were high hopes for Bale this season, with many expecting him to shoulder more responsibility at Real Madrid in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus.

But various injury issues and a change of manager have made it a disruptive campaign for the 29-year-old so far.

The win took Real Madrid into the top four and five points behind league leaders Barcelona after 15 matches.

They have already secured qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League, having registered twelve points from their first five matches in this years competition.

The 13-time European Cup winners will round off their group stage campaign with a home tie against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday.