Bale faces tough times at Real Madrid

Gareth Bale

Real Madrid fans boo Gareth Bale in Bernabeu stadium.

Casemiro has defended Gareth Bale after he was again booed by sections of the Real Madrid support on Wednesday.

For the second game in a row the Wales international was jeered by some of the Bernabeu crowd, despite his side cruising to a 3-0 Champions League win over Apoel Nicosia.

Real fans are known for booing their own - even Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered similar treatment - and Casemiro wants it to stop.

"He was a very strong player for us and I hope he continues to be so," he told Marca when asked about Bale. "With the quality he has, things will be going well for him one day. You can see that Bale is working.

He wants to score goals and he's fighting to always help Real Madrid."

He added: "We try to protect the players we have, we are always defending our own.

"It shows that we are a family. I defend my team-mates as if they were my family and I am with them until the end."

Manager Zinedine Zidane was asked about Bale's treatment after the win, saying: "I did not listen to the whistles, only the applause."

Bale has scored just once for Madrid in six appearances so far this term.(Sky Sports)