The Europa League group phase starts this evening and Tottenham will begin their campaign against Austrian side LASK at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Bale's first start since returning to Tottenham faired much better however as he forced an own goal in the 28th minute as Jose Mourinho's side ultimately strolled to a comfortable victory.
Jose Mourinho made a number of changes for Thursday's clash, including leaving star man Harry Kane on the bench and handing starts to both Carlos Vinicius and Gareth Bale, the latter figure having made a cameo appearance in the 3-3 draw with West Ham on Sunday. "That's the DNA we want to have", he said.
'I'm a bit stiff, it's like a mini pre-season at the moment, I'm just trying to get up to full speed, enjoying being back on the pitch and at this unbelievable club, ' he told BT Sport. "Hopefully it won't take me long to get back up to full speed and I am enjoying being on the pitch and being back at this incredible club".
Asked about his return to Spurs, he added: "It is unbelievable".
AZ Alkmaar overcame the loss of 13 players with positive Covid-19 tests to secure a shock 1-0 win at Napoli. I will give everything for this shirt.
He knows where will be rotation this year due to the fixture congestion, saying: 'It's a great squad, it's got a lot of depth and a lot of good players.
"It is always good to score, especially for strikers".
Vinicius, making his debut after joining Spurs on a season-long loan from Benfica, wasted a headed opportunity from close range in the opening 10 minutes before assisting on goals for Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min in either half.
"I know Jose Mourinho is a victor and wants to win a trophy here".
23 October 2020
23 October 2020
23 October 2020
23 October 2020
