Gareth Bale risks Real Madrid wrath by leaving dressing room late after match restarted

Gareth Bale has risked feeling the heat from Real Madrid after being late out for the second half of their 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo.

The Welsh superstar, who recently fired his country to a World Cup qualification play-off final with a talismanic performance, was left on the bench for Los Blancos' first La Liga game following the international break.

Alongside Madrid teammate Mariano Diaz, Bale emerged late from the dressing room at the start of the second half, forcing them to trudge down the touchline as play resumed until they made it to the away dugout at the Abanca-Balaidos.

In a potentially fortunate situation for the delayed duo, boss Carlo Ancelotti was not in Vigo after testing positive for Covid-19. The legendary manager, 62, instead allowed his assistant and son, Davide, to take charge. However, Ancelotti's replacement was unable to dish out instructions from the bench and had to remain seated throughout the match due to only holding a UEFA A licence.

The good news was that Real got the job done thanks to two Karim Benzema penalties either side of an equaliser from former Manchester City forward Nolito.

Both Bale and Mariano played no part in the win, having made a combined total of five league starts between them this season.

In particular, Wales captain Bale has made only four La Liga appearances and a further one in the Champions League after spending last term on loan at former club Tottenham Hotspur.

The 32-year-old is less than popular with the Santiago Bernabeu faithful and recently made headlines while on international duty by slamming claims from the Spanish press that he was a "parasite" earning wages of almost £600,000 per week.

Following Wales' 2-1 win against Austria in their