Bale shines, helping Real close the gap on Barca.

Real Madrid had a successful warm-up for El Clasico against Barca, defeating Levante 2-0. Midfielder Gareth Bale brilliantly scored both goals in the first half. This victory gives the "Galacticos" 64 points after 27 La Liga rounds, restoring their one-point deficit to Barca and making next week's El Clasico even more dramatic.

Besides securing three points, Bale's brilliant performance also helped boost team morale at a time when the attack hadn't yet regained its peak form. In this match, Ronaldo continued his poor form, missing at least three clear chances in front of Levante's goal. Striker Karim Benzema also failed to find his form, only managing one backheel shot that hit the post and one rebound shot that went wide.

Aside from the goals, the biggest gain for Real Madrid was the successful return of key players. In defense, center-back Sergio Ramos reappeared after his injury layoff and immediately brought security to the goal. In midfield, Luka Modric proved even more important by directly initiating both of Bale's goals.

The only real concern for Real Madrid is Ronaldo's inconsistent form and mentality. After declaring a break from the media for the rest of the season, CR7 has yet to find goals that can silence the wave of criticism. He even lost his temper and shouted on the pitch after hitting the post in the fifth minute. This came from a well-placed pass from Benzema, who could have easily taken a shot and scored.

This match was almost entirely thanks to Bale's luck and scoring prowess. When Ronaldo's volley was cleared off the line by a Levante defender in the 18th minute, Bale was there to tap in the rebound and open the scoring. Then, in the 40th minute, CR7 once again set up a teammate with a powerful shot from inside the penalty area, the ball deflecting off the Welsh star's leg before finding the net.

Bale has been consistently lucky in front of the opponent's goal.

Having scored two goals in the first half allowed Real to play more comfortably, but it didn't have a positive impact on their attack. In the second half, the Ronaldo-Benzema partnership continued to be ineffective. The world's best player delivered a perfect cross in the 65th minute, but Benzema backheeled it to the post from a completely comfortable position. In the next instance, Real's number 9 striker even missed a left-footed volley from just a few meters away.

Ronaldo's unlucky day extended right into injury time. This time, CR7's volley went over the crossbar with only the goalkeeper in front of him.

Levante also had some promising attacking moves but were unable to threaten the goal of goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who replaced Iker Casillas. The visitors' shots often went wide of the goal, or were easily neutralized by the defense, which included the return of the Ramos-Pepe pairing.

Result:Real Madrid 2-0 Levante

Goal:Bale 18', 40'

According to VNE