Gareth Bale showed he’s up to the task of filling the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo against Juventus, as the Welshman scored a stunning half-volley to draw Los Blancos level with the Old Lady. It looks as if Bale is going to be a big part of Real’s side this season in comparison to last, and following his goal against Juventus, he sure proved that he’s still got a cracker of a left foot on him. MORE: Real Madrid ready to fork out €100M for Barcelona starlet that Lionel Messi has encouraged to stay at Camp Nou Having gone down early on to a Dani Carvajal own goal, Bale drew the Spanish giants level in the 39th minute, as he powered home his left-footed strike to give Wojciech Szcsesny no chance. Here’s a clip of Bale’s stunning strike against Juve tonight. All we can say is: we cannot wait to see a fully-fit Bale in action for Madrid this season, especially if he’s scoring goals like this! Great Goal From Gareth Bale • Real Madrid v Juventus ([1]x1) pic.twitter.com/j8bpf2Cugs — Football Goals (@_eurogoals) August 4, 2018<doc-sep>Patrick Smith/International Champions Cup/Getty Images Real Madrid denied Juventus the 2018 International Champions Cup title with a 3-1 victory at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, on Saturday. After beating Bayern Munich, 2-0, and Benfica on penalties, Juventus entered the match having picked up five of the six possible points. That put it just two points from the top of the standings, meaning a victory would bump it up to first. Meanwhile, Real Madrid was coming off a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Tuesday, its lone match of the tournament to that point. Juventus got on the board first with an own goal in the 12th minute, but Gareth Bale scored the equalizer just minutes before halftime. Inserting Marco Asensio at halftime proved to be a game-changer for Real Madrid, as he scored two goals in his first nine minutes of action. Gareth Bale Must Come Up Huge for Madrid in Cristiano Ronaldo's Absence While clubs may not be playing their top starting XI at the ICC, it's clear that Real Madrid has work to do in order to move on from the Cristiano Ronaldo era. Video Play Button Videos you might like Fortunately, it still has Bale. Real Madrid was coming off a performance in which it was able to possess the ball 71 percent of the match, but even that type of ball domination couldn't spark the offense. It managed just three shots on target and one goal against Manchester United. In that match, Bale registered just two shots, none on goal. That ineffectiveness certainly played a factor in the team's inability to score. Bale shook off a reported injury, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, and reminded everyone on Saturday that he is one of the most dangerous scorers in the world with a beautiful strike late in the first half: That type of explosiveness is just what Madrid need now that Ronaldo is gone. Bale, who has been with Real Madrid since 2013, entered play with 21 goals in 39 fixtures. At 29 years old, he could be right in the peak of his prime, which is saying something for a player with his resume. There is no replacing Ronaldo, but if Bale can stay healthy, he has the talent to ease the transition. Juventus' Lackluster Offense Proves It Needs Ronaldo Sure, Juventus entered the match with the opportunity to clinch the ICC on Saturday. However, its offense once again had a tough time getting anything going. Other top teams at this event have been lighting up the scoreboard, with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool each netting seven goals in three games. Meanwhile, Juventus had just three goals in its first three matches. Andrea Favilli scored twice in an eight-minute stretch late in the first half of the club's opening fixture, and Juventus would not score again until the final minutes of regulation in its next match against Benfica, which forced extra time. If not for some help, it might not have found the back of the net against Real Madrid on Saturday. An own goal in the 12th minute gave Juventus the lead, but its inability to possess the ball or create quality looks was its undoing. It controlled the ball just 37 percent of the time and managed just two shots on goal. When Real Madrid grabbed the lead with a pair of goals early in the second half, Juventus just couldn't find a rhythm to respond. Juventus was able to score just enough early on in the tournament to grab a pair of victories (and five points), but a rough showing against Real Madrid highlighted the need for Ronaldo. Adding a five-time Ballon d'Or winner should provide another dynamic to the offense. Marco Asensio's Super-Sub Brilliance Proves He Must Start for Real Madrid With Asensio on the bench throughout the first half, it took Real Madrid 39 minutes to find the back of the net (well, its opponent's net, anyway). Once he stepped onto the field, the super sub provided instant offense. Asensio scored less than 90 seconds after entering the game on a beautiful give-and-go. He would once again put his name in the box score nine minutes later, albeit with a bit of luck: It's not about how you score; it's about how many. That effort earned him Man of the Match honors despite not playing in the first half: With Bale and Karim Benzema, Los Blancos have veteran stars they can lean on. But in Asensio, they have a player who is just 22 years old and yet already has refined skills. In other words, he could be a star in the making. Per Goal's Dejan Kalinic, Asensio opted to remain with Real Madrid—a club he has been with since 2014—despite drawing interest from Liverpool. And with his playmaking abilities, he should be a part of the starting XI moving forward. What's Next? Juventus have completed its set of ICC fixtures, whereas Real Madrid will be back in action on Tuesday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, against Roma.<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section European Football Toni Kroos was one of a number of big-name players, including Bale, Karim Benzema and Keylor Navas, starting for Real Madrid Gareth Bale's stunning strike helped Real Madrid fight back to beat Juventus in a friendly which did not feature Cristiano Ronaldo against his old club. Juve led when right-back Dani Carvajal slid into his own net before Bale equalised with a thumping half-volley. Marco Asensio put Madrid ahead and then scored a third that Juve's Wojciech Szczesny should have stopped. Ronaldo, who joined Juve last month in a £99m deal, has been given an extended break after the World Cup. Madrid allowed the 33-year-old to leave for the Italian champions after a nine-year spell which saw him score a club record 450 goals and win four Champions League titles. The Portugal forward's departure appears to have secured Bale's future at the Bernabeu for the time being, with new coach Julen Lopetegui saying the Wales forward can "help fill the void" this season. Lopetegui is also hoping a number of young players can also step up this season for the European champions and, on the evidence of this pre-season friendly in Maryland, USA, it looks like they can. Several younger players impressed in the second half as Bale, Germany midfielder Toni Kroos and striker Karim Benzema came off. Spain international Asensio, 22, took his chances in front of goal, while 18-year-old Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior - who joined this summer in a £38.7m deal - was a constant problem with his sharp and direct running. The pair linked up for the European champions' second goal, Vinicius skipping into space on the left before squaring for Asensio to roll in. Juventus had little answer to the pace and energy of their opponents after that, although Federico Bernardeschi did see an injury-time free-kick pushed onto the bar.<doc-sep>Advertisement This was a game which threatened to be all about Cristiano Ronaldo, even though he wasn't there. Instead, the men tasked with fill his boots at Real Madrid this season - Gareth Bale - and in years to come - Vinicius Junior -stepped up with moments of pure quality. Ronaldo, who astonished the football world when he left Real for Juve this summer, did not feature against his former side as he trains in Turin following his World Cup exploits and ahead of his Serie A bow. It was therefore left to Bale to provide the star quality - which, after 39 minutes in the USA, he did with aplomb, cancelling out Dani Carvajal's own goal with a long range pearl. Joao Cancelo is congratulated by his Juventus team mates after his cross forced Dani Carvajal into scoring an own goal Gareth Bale equalised superbly to liven up an otherwise sedate match, netting with a 25-yard curled strike on 39 minutes Marco Asensio - brought on at half time - scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half to give Madrid victory MATCH FACTS Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Navas (Lunin 64); Carvajal (Odriozola 46), Nacho (Odegaard 78), Sanchez (Leon 78), Reguilon; Valverde, Kroos (Llorente 46); Isco (Lucas 46), Ceballos (Borja 64), Bale (Asensio 46); Benzema (Vinicius 46) Unused subs: Vallejo, Casilla, Theo H., de Tomas, Quezada, Lopez, De La Fuente, Seoane, Oscar, Feuillassier Goals: Bale 39, Asensio 47, 55 Booking: Reguilon 81 Juventus (4-1-4-1): Szczesny (Perrin 63); De Sciglio, Chiellini (Barzagli 72), Benatia (Rugani 63), Sandro; Pjanic (Leandro 72); Bernardeschi, Khedira (Fagioli 46), Marchisio, Cancelo; Favilli (Pereira 63) Unused subs: Pinsoglio, Can, Beruatto, Del Favero, Macek, Kastanos, Clemenza, Beltrame, Di Pardo Goal: Carvajal og 12 Bookings: Benatia 6, Sandro 33 Advertisement When Bale was withdrawn at the break as the La Liga season approaches, Vinicius, the most expensive teenager of all time, came on. His direct run was the catalyst which led to another half time introduction, Marco Asensio, finding the net. Asensio got a second soon after, a soft goal which will convince no-one that Wojciech Szczesny is the man to fill the gloves of Gianluigi Buffon. In a largely low key first half, Juve provided the only moment of note for nearly 40 minutes when Joao Cancelo broke away down the left. His low cross found Carvajal under minimal pressure, but in attempting a sliding clearance, sent the ball into his own net at Keylor Navas' near post. The Real keeper got a hand to it, having been caught out coming for the cross, but the goal will do little to dissuade manager Julen Lopetegui to continue pursuing Thibaut Courtois. Then, out of the blue in the 39th minute, a moment completely out of keeping with a low tempo friendly played on a bobbly American football pitch. Bale picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and, without hesitation, curled a perfect effort around Szczesny and into the top left corner. Mehdi Benatia was the enabler with a poor defensive header, and he was slow to close Bale down, but there was no denying that the finish was superb. Both sides gave starts to youngsters and fringe players, among them Real left back Sergio Reguilon, who almost gave Real a first half lead minutes after Bale's equaliser. Juventus led when Carvajal slid the ball into his own net under minimal pressure, catching goalkeeper Keylor Navas out Wojciech Szczesny was left with no chance as Bale crashed in the Real equaliser off the post with a superb distance strike Navas catches the ball from a corner during the first half of the International Champions Cup match in Maryland Mehdi Benatia and Carvajal - two first team regulars in much changed line-ups - battle for the ball during the first half Reguilon cut in from the left and fired a powerful 20 yard shot with his right foot across goal. It was superbly turned around the post at full stretch by Szczesny. Bale who was a cut above the rest in the opening 45 minutes in front of 70,000 fans in Landover, Maryland, and in first half stoppage time he sent a bouncing 25-yard free kick on target after Daniel Ceballos was fouled, which Szczesny unconvincingly gathered. Two minutes after the break, Real did lead. Vinicius gave a glimpse of why £40million was spent on him as he broke into the box before slipping in Asensio to tap into the empty goal. Asensio, another hoping for more minutes, input and recognition post-Ronaldo, scored a second within 10 minutes as he jinked through the Juve defence before poking an effort towards Szczesny. The Polish keeper - who seems to be preferred to new signing Mattia Perrin as Juve No 1 - was too slow to get down and allowed the shot to squeeze underneath him, the ball creeping apologetically over the line. One Real fan at the FedExField had brought a homemade sign reading 'Who needs Ronaldo?' On this evidence, the answer is certainly more Juventus than Real Madrid. Sergio Ramos greets gathered Real fans as the players emerged for their warm-ups before the friendly match<doc-sep>
Marco Asensio came off the bench and delivered as he scored twice early in the second-half to lead Real Madrid to a 3-1 win over Juventus 3-1 in a pre-season friendly on Saturday. The Spaniard was introduced at the start of the second period and took less than two minutes to score. He then added his second in the 56th minute with both goals provided by new team-mate Vinicius Jr. It was the first defeat of the pre-season and the final match of the International Champions Cup campaign for Italy’s Juventus. The Serie A champions now open up their title defense at Chievo on August 18. They were without new signing Cristiano Ronaldo, who did not make his debut against his former team. The Portuguese superstar skipped the club’s US tour because he was recovering from his World Cup performance. Gareth Bale also scored for the European champions as the Welshman served notice that he is going to produce despite the loss of Ronaldo. Bale hit a stunning shot from 20 yards out in the 39th minute to level the score at 1-1 in the front of the crowd of 60,000 at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. Bale finished with 16 La Liga goals last season and is in his fifth campaign with Real Madrid. Asensio subbed in after half-time and wasted no time getting on the board. He finished off a drive by side-footing a shot home in the 47th minute on a rush with Vinicius, who also entered the game at half-time. The pair combined again just nine minutes later to make it 3-1 for Real Madrid on another unselfish pass from Vinicius. This time, Asensio’s shot deflected off the right arm of Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and trickled into the net. Juventus’ lone score came in the 12th minute on an own goal by Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal. Carvajal was trying to corral Joao Cancelo’s left side cross when he deflected the ball into his own net. It was the first pre-season defeat for Juventus, who were without many of their key attackers for their US tour, including Douglas Costa, Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic. In earlier matches, Juventus beat Bayern Munich, Benfica and the Major League Soccer All-Stars. Know more about Sport360 Application