Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was again forced to defend Gareth Bale, despite him scoring in their win over Espanyol. Bale hit a spectacular effort in the 3-0 win, but was booed by home fans for ignoring a wide open Cristiano Ronaldo and trying to score himself during the game.

"Bale put in a very, very good match. He played with intensity and scored a goal. Maybe in that moment the fans were calling for a pass to Cristiano which he didn't play and, like every forward in front of goal, he tried to score. Selflessness is a very important element of the team this year," said Ancelotti.

"If there is any piece of play that appears selfish, we'll fix it. We have supporters who demand a lot. Bale is a fundamental player like Cristiano, and that's why the fans demand more from them than from others. I think that's normal and fair.

"We shouldn't start a fuss over these things. It's a moment in football of the sort that happen often. The relationship between the players, not just between those two, is very good and the team has always shown that. We work with the same aim of taking Real Madrid as high as possible, and I don't think it's fair to carry on talking about this subject."