Real Madrid Opens Week One Of The 2018/19 La Liga With Win

The new Real Madrid boss commends Gareth Bale after his performance in the Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Getafe CF.

Going into his maiden league match as Real Madrid head coach after Zinedine Zidane left the position, Lopetegui commanded the win over Getafe. This is Madrid’s opening match of the campaign and gives the club its first home win.

Last year’s UEFA Champions League winners suffered a 4-2 extra-time defeat to rivals Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup last time out. However, Lopetegui’s squad bounced back to kick-start their season with the aid of Bale and Dani Carvajal.

Spanish national team player Dani Carvajal opened the scoring in the 20th minute, while Bale doubled the lead in the 51st minute. The Welsh international stepped up following Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus. Overall, the forward played a significant role in the first match, which earned him a praise from the gaffer. The new Blancos boss said his player had a “very good game.” Discussing the team’s accomplishment afterward, Lopetegui told reporters: “I liked the team’s performance in general and Bale had a very good match.

“He offers lots of different things, like the other players. We must continue working, the team always comes before individual talent and that goes for Bale too.”

Lopetegui added: “We’re satisfied with the win and happy because the team did a lot right. There’s still room for improvement at this stage of the season, as with all teams. We played with intensity, played as a team and scored two goals against a side who had the third-best defensive record last season and who came here and made things difficult.”

The Fight For The #1 Jersey

Meanwhile, the new man between the sticks, Thibaut Courtois did not make his debut for the club as Keylor Navas started the match against Getafe. The Belgium international also sat out the Super Cup clash and had to watch from the bench for Sunday’s league opener.

“We’ll be running with three goalkeepers in the squad. We’re delighted with the competition for the goalkeeper’s jersey. It’s marvelous and I don’t see it as a problem, but rather see it as us having several options,” Lopetegui said.

“We’ll make decisions as the season progresses. We’re really happy with the performance levels of our goalkeepers.”

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