Gareth Bale scored against former club Tottenham Hotspur as Real Madrid won 2-0 to set up a final against Bayern Munich in the pre-season Audi Cup friendly tournament in Germany.
The Wales international was playing against Spurs for the first time since his £85.3m (Dh487m) world record transfer to Madrid in September 2013.
Bale, 26, found the net on 79 minutes after James Rodriguez headed home the opener after 36 minutes at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Last year’s tournament winners Bayern Munich later dominated AC Milan 3-0 to join the Spaniards in Wednesday’s final.
It will be the first meeting between the two teams since April 2014 when the Spaniards ran riot in a 4-0 Uefa Champions League semi-final second leg win en route to their record tenth European Cup triumph.
The win boosted Pep Guardiola’s Bayern side three days after their German Super Cup loss on penalties to Wolfsburg, the only title the Spaniard has failed to win since his arrival in Bavaria.
Juan Bernat opened the scoring after 24 minutes for the hosts with the help of a Cristian Zapata deflection, but it was new signing Douglas Costa who was the man of the match until his substitution at the break.
The Brazilian midfielder has had a good pre-season since his arrival from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk last month and he was inspirational in combination with Mario Gotze and fellow new signing Arturo Vidal.
Chilean Vidal — who arrived from Italian champions Juventus last week — almost scored twice with two thumping headers — the first hitting the crossbar on 36 minutes with the second just missing the target seven minutes later.
Despite dominating, Bayern had to wait until the 74th minute to get a second with Gotze scoring as Robert Lewandowski completed the scoreline five minutes from time with a powerful shot that left Diego Lopez with no chance in the Milan goal.
Overrun by the Bundesliga champions, AC Milan will look to save face against Tottenham in the third-place play-off, also on Wednesday.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Analysis
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