Bale gets Zidane support despite Bernabeu whistle

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Bengaluru, August 28: Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has come to the rescue of star player Gareth Bale after he was whistled away following the team's 2-2 stalemate with Valencia at St Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday (August 27).

Both Gale and Karim Benzema were the main targets of ridicule by the highly-demanding Bernabeu crowd.

Benzema in particular took the brunt of the fans' frustration, after he missed close-range chances in each half.

Bale was also booed as he was substitued 15 minutes from the close of the play with the game still hanging in the balance.

"Gareth is Gareth. He's a key player. We keep working hard and we rely on Gareth, just as is the case with the other players," said Zidane.

Fans took to Twitter also to vent their ire.

Bale has been the subject of transfer speculation this summer.

Some Spanish media claimed Premier League side Manchester United have tabled a £92million bid for the forward, but Zidane insists he still has a future at the Spanish giants.

"He had scoring opportunities, but did not convert them. We're going to keep working on this," Zidane added

The Frenchman hopes for a change of fortunes in the coming games.

"I hope we keep going like this, but it does not affect Gareth," he said.

"Gareth had his chances to score today, it didn't happen. But this is football, I can't reproach my players, just the opposite.

"I am very happy with the game they played. In La Liga it is very long, we will drop points other times too. We were up against a team who were very well organised, made it difficult for us. There were two good teams on the pitch today."