Gareth Bale leaves Clasico injured; replaced by Marco Asensio
The Welsh forward did not even complete the first half at the Bernabeu
Zinedine Zidane had rushed him back but it proved to be the wrong decision
Gareth Bale was rushed back from a calf problem to take his place in Real Madrid's Clasico XI. He started in the front three alongside Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo against Barcelona.
But the Welshman did not look himself from the off and was not able to contribute to Madrid's attacks, with Ronaldo and Benzema having the best chances and drawing saves from Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
And the bet to start Bale proved the wrong one when he went down after the half hour mark. He was unable to play on and hobbled down the tunnel at the Bernabeu with the first half still in play and the score 1-1.
On in his place came Marco Asensio, who has impressed in his first season with Madrid's first team. He even scored the fourth goal in the midweek win over Bayern Munich.
Bale has struggled with his calf muscles throughout his time at Madrid and there must be serious concerns about his constant injury problems.
